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PRESBYTERIANISM. 


By  WILLIAM  J.  REID, 

PASTOR   OF   THB   FIRST    UNITED   PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH,    PITTSBURGH,    FA. 


(second  edition.) 


PITTSBURGH  : 

UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  BOARD  OF  PUBLICATION, 

68  &  53   NINTH   STREET. 
1883. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1881,  bj 

The  United  Presbyterian  Board  of  Publication, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


FERQUSON    BROS.    &    CO., 

PRINTERS   AND    ELECTROTYPERS, 

PHILADELPHIA. 


Peeface. 


ONE  of  the  duties  of  a  pastor  is  to  train  the  young 
to  be  consistent  members  of  the  visible  church. 
To  do  this,  he  must  instruct  them  as  to  the  nature  of 
faith,  the  necessity  of  a  public  confession,  and  the  doc- 
trines of  the  church.  This  instruction  can  be  given, 
in  part,  in  the  formal  preaching  of  the  gospel,  but 
something  more  seems  to  be  necessary.  He  must 
gather  them  in  classes;  he  must  talk  with  them  in 
private;  he  must  direct  their  reading.  The  author 
has  long  felt  the  need  of  some  book,  which  he  could 
put  into  the  hands  of  the  young  as  a  part  of  this  train- 
ing; but  finding  nothing  which  met  his  ideas,  he  has 
prepared  the  following  chapters.  He  would  hope  that 
other  pastors  may  find  the  volume  helpful  in  their 
work. 

The  volume  does  not  profess  to  be  an  exhaustive 
discussion  of  the  subjects  treated.  It  was  not  intended 
for  advanced  students  in  theology,  but  for  those  who 
are  inquiring  about  the  first  steps  in  duty.  Its  aim  is 
to  instruct,  in  plain  and  simple  language,  those  who 
are  just  beginning  the  Christian  life. 

(3) 


4  PREFACE, 

To  the  young,  into  whose  hands  this  volume  may 
fall,  it  is  affectionately  commended.  It  was  written 
especially  for  you,  by  one  who  has  not  forgotten  the 
experiences  of  his  own  youth,  and  who  deeply  sym- 
pathizes with  you  in  your  longings  and  questionings 
after  the  truth.  If  it  proves  of  any  use  in  guiding 
your  investigations,  and  in  answering  your  questions 
as  to  present  duty,  its  design  will  be  accomplished. 

The  author  would  dedicate  the  volume  to  the  mem- 
bers of  his  own  Bible  class,  whose  questions  and 
answers  have  suggested  many  of  the  thoughts  which 
have  been  presented  and  discussed.  Your  interest  and 
progress  in  Bible  study  have  given  you  a  warm  place 
in  your  teacher's  affections.  He  rejoices  that  the  most 
of  you  are  "walking  in  the  truth,"  and  he  hopes  and 
prays  that  all  will  be  made  "wise  unto  salvation.'^ 
The  time  we  spend  together  on  the  Sabbath  afternoon 
is  one  of  the  pleasantest  hours  of  the  week.  May  this 
little  book  be  to  you  a  memento  of  past  intercourse,  a 
token  of  increasing  friendship  and  a  help  to  a  closer 
walk  with  God ! 

Your  friend,  teacher  and  pastor, 

WILLIAM  J.  REID. 

FiTTSBUEGH,  Pa.,  June  21,  1881, 


Contents. 


CHAPTER   I. 


FAQE 


Faith < 

CHAPTER   11. 
Confession  of  Faith 23 

CHAPTER   III. 
The  Church 39 

CHAPTER   IV. 
The  Different  Churches      .        .        .        .56 

CHAPTER   V. 

The  Presbyterian  Churches        .        .        ,72 

CHAPTER   YI. 
The  Creed  of  the  Presbyterian  Churches    90 

CHAPTER   YII. 
The  United  Presbyterian  Church      .        .109 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

The  Conclusion 180 

(5) 


United  Presbyterianism, 


CHAPTER  I. 

FAITH. 


Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved. — Acts 
xvi.  31. 

"VTO  one  can  ask  a  more  important  question  than 
■^^  this  :  "  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?  "  On  its 
answer  depends  our  present  and  future  happiness. 
We  know  that  we  are  sinners.  The  evidence  of  sin 
without  us  and  within  us  is  too  manifest  to  be  denied. 
We  know  that  sin  is  rebellion  against  God,  and  that 
the  justice  of  God  will  not  suffer  it  to  go  unpunished. 
We  know  that  "  it  is  not  all  of  death  to  die,"  that  the 
soul  is  immortal,  and  that  there  is  a  life  beyond  the 
grave.  We  are  sure  that  there  is  a  heaven  into  which 
sin  and  sorrow  can  never  enter,  and  a  world  of  woe 
from  which  holiness,  peace,  and  joy  are  forever  ban- 
ished.    How  can  we  escape  this  world  of  woe  ?    Ho\^r 

(7) 


8  UNITED   PRESBYTER FAmSM. 

can  we  reach  the  heavenly  home  ?  How  can  we  be 
delivered  from  the  guilt,  pollution,  and  punishment 
of  sin  ?  How  can  we  become  heirs  of  eternal  life  ? 
Or,  to  sum  up  all  these  questions  in  one,  What  must 
we  do  to  be  saved  ?  This  is  a  question  which  human 
wisdom  cannot  answer.  Man,  if  left  to  himself,  could 
never  discover  the  way  to  heaven.  But  the  word  of 
God  answers  the  question,  and  reveals  the  way  of  sal- 
vation so  plainly,  that  "the  wayfaring  men,  though 
fools,  shall  not  err  therein."  That  revelation  is  briefly 
comprehended  in  the  words,  "Believe  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved."  As  faith  is  so 
inseparably  connected  with  salvation,  it  deserves  our 
attention  and  study.  In  the  present  chapter,  we  will 
discuss  the  nature  of  faith,  the  means  we  must  employ 
in  order  to  become  believers,  and  the  reasons  why  we 
should  believe. 

THE   NATURE   OF   FAITH. 

1.  We  must  get  a  dear  definition  of  faith  in  our 
Lord  Jems  Christ  firmly  fixed  in  our  minds.  Faith 
is  often  spoken  of  in  the  word  of  God,  and  it  is  from 
this  word  that  we  must  learn  what  faith  is.  It  would 
be  useless  to  attempt  to  repeat  the  inspired  passages, 
which  describe  the  duty,  importance,  necessity,  evi- 
dence, and  rewards  of  faith ;  to  do  this  would  be  to 


FAITH.  9 

transcribe  the  most  of  the  Bible.     John  says,  "This 
is  the  victory  that  overcometh   the  world,  even  our 
faith/*     Paul  says,  "Now  faith   is  the  substance  of 
things  hoped   for,  the  evidence  of  things   not  seen/' 
Jesus  says,  "  He  that  believeth   on   him  is   not  con- 
demned;    but    he   that    believeth    not   is   condemned 
already,   because   he  hath   not  believed   in   the  name 
of  tiie  only  begotten  Son  of  God."     These  passages 
are  but  a  specimen  of  the  teaching  of  the  Scriptures. 
Is  it  possible  to  gather  up  this  teaching  and  express  it 
in   a   brief  definition?      Many   attempts    have    been 
made.     One  of  the  most  successful  is  the  one  found  in 
our  Shorter  Catechism,  "Faith   in   Jesus  Christ  is  a 
saving  grace,  whereby  we  receive  and  rest  upon  him 
alone  for  salvation,  as  he  is  offered  to  us  in  the  gospel." 
We  believe  that  this  is  a  correct  statement  of  what  the 
Bible  teaches  with  regard  to  faith.     From  this  defini- 
tion, which  is  easily  remembered,  we  can   learn  much 
of  the  nature  of  faith. 

2.  The  object  of  faith  is  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
Faith,  in  general,  is  an  assent  to  truth  upon  testimony. 
Religious  faith  is  an  assent  to  divine  truth  on  divine 
testimony.  Therefore,  the  general  object  of  religious 
faith  is  the  whole  word  of  God.  We  are  to  believe  all 
the  revelations  of  Scripture,  not  on  the  testimony  of 
any  man,  or  of  the  church,  or  because  they  commend 


10  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

themselves  to  our  reason^  but  on  the  authority  of  God 
himself.  But  this  is  not  the  faith  under  discussion. 
The  special  and  personal  object  of  saving  faith  is  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Hence,  this  faith  is  called  "the 
faith  of  Jesus  Christ,"  and  "  faith  towards  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ."  It  consists  in  believing  the  testimony 
of  God  concerning  his  Son.  This  divine  testimony  is 
summed  up  in  the  words,  "  God  so  loved  the  world, 
that  he  gave  his  only  begotten'  Son,  that  whosoever 
believeth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  ever- 
lasting life."  We  are  to  believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Son 
of  God,  that  he  took  upon  himself  our  nature,  that  he 
suffered  and  died  in  our  room,  that  he  was  raised  from 
the  dead  on  the  third  day,  that  he  ascended  into 
heaven,  where  he  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for 
us,  and  that  he  is  our  prophet,  priest,  and  king.  In 
one  word,  we  are  to  believe  all  that  God  has  told  us 
concerning  his  Son  in  the  gospel. 

3.  The  'principal  acts  of  saving  faith  are  receiving 
and  resting  upon  Christ.  Faith  is  always  the  belief  in 
'  testimony,  but  it  must  correspond  with  the  testimony 
believed.  If  the  gospel  was  a  mere  statement  of  truths, 
or  a  record  of  facts,  the  assent  of  the  mind  to  these 
truths,  and  the  crediting  of  these  facts,  would  consti- 
tute the  faith  of  the  gospel.  But  the  gospel  is  some- 
thing more  tlian  a  statement  of  facts  and  doctrines 


FAITH.  11 

respecting  the  Saviour.  It  contains  a  free  offer  of 
Christ  and  salvation  through  him  to  sinners  of  every 
class.  Therefore,  that  saving  faith  may  correspond 
with  the  testimony  to  be  believed,  it  must  include 
the  acceptance  of  Christ,  as  offered  to  us  in  the 
gospel.  • 

Faith  is  described  by  many  different  words,  because 
Christ  is  represented  and  offered  under  various  figures. 
Christ  is  the  ark  of  safety,  and  we  are  to  enter  into 
him ;  he  is  the  city  of  refuge,  and  we  are  to^ee  to  him ; 
he  is  lifted  up,  as  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the 
wilderness,  and  we  are  to  look  unto  him;  he  is  the 
bread  and  water  of  life,  and  we  are  to  eat  his  flesh  and 
drink  his  blood ;  he  is  the  robe  of  righteousness,  and 
we  are  to  put  on  Christ  to  cover  our  nakedness ;  he  is 
the  gift  of  God,  and  we  are  to  receive  him ;  he  is  the 
only  sure  foundation,  and  we  are  to  rest  on  him.  The 
last  two  figures  are  the  ones  referred  to  in  the  defini- 
tion of  the  Shorter  Catechism:  "Whereby  we  receive 
and  rest  upon  him  alone  for  salvation.*'  It  is  to  be 
observed  that  these  terms  do  not  denote  different  acts 
of  faith — they  are  only  different  expressions  for  the 
same  act. 

These  figurative  expressions  make  it  evident  that 
saving  faith  is  something  more  than  an  assent  of  the 
mind  to  the  facts  and  doctrines  of  the  gospel ;  it  is  an 


12  UNITED  PBESBYTERIANISM. 

accepting  of  Christ  and  a  relying  on  him  as  the  Saviour. 
This  acceptance  of  Christ  does  not  come  from  any 
knowledge  of  God's  purposes  respecting  our  individual 
salvation,  or  from  the  possession  of  any  good  qualities 
which  distinguish  us  from  others;  it  proceeds  solely 
from»the  free  offer  of  salvation  to  the  chief  of  sinners. 
We  accept  Christ,  because  he  is  offered,  and  as  he  is 
offered.  Herein  is  the  difference  between  the  faith  of 
true  disciples  and  that  of  devils ;  for  devils  have  faith. 
We  are  told  that  "  the  devils  also  belieVe  and  tremble.'' 
They  believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God,  and  that  he 
suffered  and  died  in  the  room  of  sinners ;  they  believe 
all  the  teaching  of  the  gospel  concerning  Jesus;  but 
they  cannot  believe  that  he  is  their  Saviour,  because 
he  is  not  offered  to  them.  We  may  accept  him  as  our 
Saviour,  because  he  is  offered  to  us.  It  is  this  offer  of 
Christ  which  gives  us  the  right  to  receive  and  rest 
upon  him  for  salvation. 

THE   MEANS   WE   MUST   EMPLOY  IN  ORDER  TO   HAVE 
FAITH   IN   CHRIST. 

1.  The  author  of  saving  faith  is  God.  In  our  defini- 
tion of  faith,  it  is  said  to  be  "a  saving  graced  It  is 
so  called,  because  it  is  freely  given  to  us  by  God.  The 
Scriptures  are  plain  on  this  point.  Faith  is  declared 
to  be  "  the  gift  of  God,"  "  the  operation  of  God."    The 


FAITH.  13 

Holy  Ghost  is  called  "  the  Spirit  of  faith,"  and  faith  is 
mentioned  among  "  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit,"  because  it 
is  wrought  in  the  hearts  of  men  by  the  Spirit,  as  the 
ai^plier  of  the  redemption  purchased  by  Christ.  But 
some  one  may  say,  ''If  faith  is  the  gift  of  God,  I  have 
nothing  to  do  ;  if  God  giv^es  me  faith,  it  will  be  well ; 
if  he  does  not,  I  am  helpless."  This  is  a  perversion 
of  the  doctrine  of  grace.  Though  faith  is  the  gift  of 
God,  it  is  given  through  the  use  of  appointed  means. 
If  these  means  are  rightly  used,  faith  is  bestowed ;  if 
they  are  not  rightly  used,  the  case  is  hopeless.  The 
whole  history  of  the  church  proves  the  truth  of  the 
assertion,  that  every  one  who  has  properly  used  the 
appointed  means  has  been  saved.  What,  then,  are  the 
means  we  must  employ  in  order  to  have  that  faith  in 
Christ,  which  is  the  gift  of  God? 

2.  Faith  is  usually  wrought  in  the  heart  by  the 
word.  "  Faith  cometh  by  hearing,  and  hearing  by 
the  word  of  God."  As  faith  is  an  assent  to  testimony, 
men  must  know  what  that  testimony  is  before  they  can 
believe.  As  saving  faith  is  an  assent  to  God^s  testi- 
mony concerning  Christ,  and  an  acceptance  of  Christ 
as  he  is  offered  in  the  gospel,  we  must  know  who 
Christ  is,  what  he  has  done,  and  how  he  is  offered, 
before  we  can  have  saving  faith.  Tliis  knowledge  is 
reached  only  through  the  word.     The  Scriptures  alone 


14  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

tell  us  of  the  person,  work  and  offer  of  Christ.  There- 
fore, it  is  evident  that  if  a  man  would  know  of  Christ, 
he  must  go  to  the  inspired  word.  A  knowledge  of 
the  Scriptures,  like  knowledge  of  every  other  kind, 
can  be  acquired  only  through  the  use  of  means.  We 
are  to  read  them  with  diligence,  to  treasure  them  up  iu 
our  memories,  and  to  use  all  our  powers  and  all  the 
helps  within  our  reach  to  understand  them.  Prom- 
inent among  these  helps  are  commentaries  and  religious 
books.  There  is  danger,  in  these  days  of  many  books, 
that  the  Bible  may  be  neglected  or  forgotten,  but  if 
we  would  reach  the  true  knowledge  of  Christ,  and  that 
faith  which  comes  through  knowledge,  we  must  make 
it  our  chief  study.  We  must  also  attend  on  the 
preaching  of  the  word,  for  ^^it  pleased  God  by  the 
foolishness  of  preaching  to  save  them  that  believe." 
In  all  the  ages  of  the  church,  the  voice  of  the  living 
teacher  has  been  a  powerful  instrument  in  making 
men  acquainted  with  the  truth,  and  in  moving  them  to 
obedience. 

The  conclusion  from  all  this  is  obvious.  If  we 
would  have  saving  faith,  we  must  study  the  Bible  dili- 
gently, and  listen  attentively  and  regularly  to  the 
preaching  of  the  word.  Those  who  do  not  read  the 
Scriptures,  who  absent  themselves  from  church,  or  who 
pay  no  heed  when  they  are  present  in  the  place  of 


FAITH.  15 

preaching,  have  no  reason  to  believe  that  they  will 
ever  receive  and  rest  upon  Christ,  as  he  is  offered  in 
the  gospel.  "How  shall  they  believe  in  him  of 
whom  they  have  not  heard  ?  And  how  shall  they 
hear  without  a  preacher  ?  "  On  the  other  hand,  those 
who  read  and  hear  the  word  of  God,  as  it  ought  to  be 
read  and  heard,  have  a  right  to  expect  that  their  read- 
ing and  hearing  will  result  in  saving  faith.  It  cer- 
tainly is  true  that  God  is  the  author  of  faith,  but  he 
ordinarily  works  through  the  means  of  the  word. 
When  Lydia  heard  the  preaching  of  Paul,  "the  Lord 
opened  her  heart.''  The  apostle  tells  us  how  his 
preaching  became  a  blessing  to  those  who  heard  him  : 
"  Our  gospel  came  not  unto  you  in  word  only,  but  also 
in  power,  and  in  the  Holy  Ghost."  To  this  day,  those 
who  attend  aright  upon  the  ordinance  of  the  word, 
both  read  and  preached,  may  expect  that  the  Spirit 
will  bless  it  to  their  salvation,  and  that  the  Lord  will 
open  their  hearts  to  understand  and  believe. 

3.  Serious  meditation  is  another  means  which  ought 
to  be  employed,  and  which  God  has  often  blessed. 
Such  meditation  is  necessary  in  order  to  fix  the  truths 
of  revelation  on  our  memory.  "  Therefore,  we  ought 
to  give  the  more  earnest  heed  to  the  things  which  we 
have  heard,  lest  at  any  time  we  should  let  them  slip." 
The  world  has  so  many  labors,  cares  and  pleasures, 


16  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANJSM. 

which  are  pressing  upon  our  attention,  that  we  must 
put  forth  no  little  effort,  or  the  word,  read  and 
preached,  will  be  "as  water  spilt  on  the  ground,  which 
cannot  be  gathered  up  again."  Meditation  is  also 
necessary  that  we  may  make  a  profitable  use  of  the 
providences  which  visit  us  and  our  fellows.  God  in- 
structs men  by  his  providences  as  well  as  by  his  word, 
but  the  accidents,  sicknesses  and  bereavements,  which 
befall  us  and  others,  will  have  no  good  effect  on  us, 
unless  they  are  attended  and  followed  by  serious 
thought.  It  is  too  often  the  case  that  we  try  to  blot 
out  the  impression,  which  some  passage  of  the  word  or 
some  startling  providence  has  made  upon  our  minds. 
The  Bible  describes  in  terrible  words  the  guilt,  pollu- 
tion and  punishment  of  sin,  and  these  descriptions 
fill  us  witli  apprehensions.  Death  overtakes  one  of 
our  friends,  and  we  are  reminded  that  we  must  die  and 
stand  before  the  judgment  seat.  We  try  to  banish 
the  thoughts  suggested  by  these  things,  by  engaging 
in  worldly  pleasures,  by  mingling  with  gay  compan- 
ions, by  devoting  ourselves  to  business,  by  reading 
light  literature,  or  in  some  other  way.  And  some- 
times we  succeed  in  removing  all  serious  impressions. 
This  ought  not  to  be.  Serious  meditation  on  the  word 
and  the  events  of  providence  should  be  cherished  and 
improved  as  a  means  of  grace.     Many  a  man  has  been 


FAITH.  17 

led,  in  this  way,  to  accept  the  Saviour.  He  who 
strives  with  all  his  might  to  drive  away  serious 
thought  will  not  likely  attain  to  saving  faith.  He 
who  meditates  much  on  the  revelations  of  God,  as 
made  in  inspiration  and  providence,  is  using  one 
means,  which  the  Spirit  has  often  blessed  to  the  sal- 
vation of  the  soul. 

4.  Among  the  other  means  of  grace,  prayer  should 
not  be  forgotten.  He  who  gives  good  heed  to  the 
word  of  God,  and  who  engages  much  in  serious  medi- 
tation, will  be  drawn  to  the  throne  of  grace.  If  we 
learn,  from  the  Scriptures,  our  sinfulness  and  helpless- 
ness, and  the  love  of  God  as  manifested  in  the  gift  of 
his  Son,  we  will  often  pray.  That  man,  who  is  thus 
brought  to  his  knees,  is  not  far  from  the  kingdom  of 
God.  "Behold,  he  believeth,"  follows  hard  after, 
"  Behold,  he  prayeth." 

Nothing  need  be  said,  in  this  connection,  of  man^s 
natural  inability.  The  Saviour's  words  are  unques- 
tionably true  :  "  No  man  can  come  to  me,  except  the 
Father,  which  hath  sent  me,  draw  him."  Neverthe- 
less, it  is  true,  that  every  one  in  a  Christian  land  can 
read  the  word,  listen  to  its  preaching,  cherish  serious 
thought,  and  pray  to  God ;  and  the  history  of  the 
church  warrants  the  assertion  that  those,  who  make  a 
right  use  of  these  things,   will    inherit  eternal  life. 


18  UNITED  PBESBYTERIANISM. 

Though  God  is  the  author  of  faith,  every  man  can  use 
the  means  which  God  has  uniformly  blessed.  Jesus 
spake  as  never  man  spake  when  he  said,  "  Ye  will  not 
come  to  me,  that  ye  might  have  life."  Therefore,  if 
we  do  not  have  saving  faith,  we  are  ourselves  to 
blame. 

SOME  REASONS   WHY   WE   SHOULD   BELIEVE. 

1.  One  reason  why  we  should  accept  Christ  as  our 
Saviour  is  because  this  is  God's  command.  It  is  God 
who  has  said,  '*  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
thou  shalt  be  saved ; "  "  This  is  his  commandment, 
that  we  should  believe  on  the  name  of  his  Son  Jesus 
Christ,  and  love  one  another,  as  he  gave  us  command- 
ment." Too  many  regard  the  words,  "  Believe  on  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  as  an  invitation  which  they  are  at 
liberty  either  to  accept  or  reject.  It  is  to  be  remem- 
bered that  they  are  a  positive  commandment,  binding 
on  every  one  to  whom  the  gospel  is  preached.  The 
same  Grod  who  says,  "  Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods 
before  me,"  "Thou  shalt  not  kill,"  "Thou  shalt  not 
steal,"  says  also,  "  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 
Nor  does  this  positive  command  refer  to  some  indefi- 
nite time  in  the  future.  We  are  commanded  to  believe 
now,  "Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his 
righteousness."     "  Remember  now  thy  Creator  in  the 


FAITH.  19 

days  of  thy  youth."  Those  who  say,  as  many  do,  that 
they  will  believe  at  some  future  time,  are  claiming  to 
be  wiser  than  God.  It  is  as  if  they  said,  *^It  is  true, 
God  commands  us  to  seek  his  kingdom  first,  but  we 
know  better;  we  should  first  seek  education,  wealtii, 
or  pleasure;  after  that  it  will  be  time  enough  to  seek 
the  kingdom.  It  is  true,  God  has  commanded  us  to 
remember  him  in  the  days  of  our  youth,  but  we  know 
better;  old  age  is  a  more  favorable  time."  If  this  is 
true,  those  who  do  not  believe  in  Christ  are  guilty,  not 
only  of  disobedience,  but  also  of  blasphemy.  God's 
command  is  the  supreme  reason  for  present  faith.  You 
know  that  there  is  a  God,  that  he  is  a  God  of  power 
and  justice,  and  that  his  commands  cannot  be  dis- 
obeyed with  impunity.    Therefore,  believe,  and  believe 

71010. 

2.  Another  reason  why  we  should  believe  in  Christ 
is  because  salvation  is  inseparably  connected  with  faith, 
"  He  that  believeth  shall  be  saved,  but  he  that  believ- 
eth  not  shall  be  damned."  It  is  true,  faith  does  not 
save  us ;  we  are  saved  by  Christ :  but  faith  is  the  ap- 
pointed prerequisite  to  salvation.  This  may  be  illus- 
trated by  the  miracles  which  Jesus  wrought  when  he 
was  on  earth.  The  blind  men,  who  came  to  him  to  be 
healed,  had  faith  in  his  power.  Still,  it  was  his  power, 
and  not  their  faith,  that  healed  them ;  their  faith  only 


20  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

brought  them  into  a  place  in  which  his  healing  power 
was  exercised.  So  faith  does  not  save  the  soul,  but  it 
brings  the  soul  into  a  position  to  be  saved.  Faith 
seems  a  small  thing,  but  on  it  eternal  life  depends.  It 
is  only  the  bucket,  let  down  into  the  well  of  God's 
grace;  but  without  it  we  cannot  drink  and  live.  It  is 
a  purse  of  cheapest  and  coarsest  material,  but  it  holds 
that  which  gives  "  the  true  riches."  Many  have 
entered  heaven,  but  not  an  unbeliever  is  found  in  their 
number ;  many  have  gone  down  into  the  world  of  the 
lost,  but  no  believer  is  there.  It  needs  no  prophetic 
insight  into  the  future  to  say  that,  if  you  are  saved, 
you  will  have  faith,  and  that,  if  you  are  lost,  it  will  be 
because  you  have  no  faith.  Is  not  salvation  to  be  de- 
sired? Though  we  do  not  yet  fully  know  in  what  the 
future  glory  consists,  we  know  enough  to  awaken  the 
greatest  expectations.  Heaven  is  the  home  which  God 
has  prepared  for  his  people;  and  that  which  God  has 
prepared  must  be  perfect.  In  heaven  all  the  desires 
of  the  immortal  soul  will  be  satisfied.  This  divine 
home  of  complete  satisfaction  can  be  reached  only 
through  faith.  If  you  would  ever  enter  its  gates  and 
be  a  partaker  of  its  joys,  you  must  believe. 

3.  Another  reason  why  we  should  at  once  believe  in 
Christ  is  because  the  time  is  short.  Death  will  come, 
and  "then  shall  the  dust  return  to  the  earth  as  it  was; 


FAITH.  21 

and  the  spirit  shall  return  unto  God  who  gave  it.'' 
The  dying  Seliever  immediately  passes  into  Paradise; 
the  dying  unbeliever  is  straightway  in  "torment."  If 
we  do  not  accept  Christ  as  our  Saviour  in  this  life, 
there  is  no  hope,  for  we  will  have  no  opportunity  to 
accept  him  in  the  life  to  come.  And  death  may  come 
at  any  moment.  We  carry  about  in  our  bodies  the 
seeds  of  dissolution,  which  may  ripen  at  any  hour  of 
the  day  or  night.  As  we  may  die  at  any  time,  it  is  the 
part  of  wisdom  to  do  now  that  which  ought  to  be  done 
before  death.  It  will  not  do  to  defer  this  important 
matter  of  faith  till  our  dying  hours,  for  death  may 
come  without  warning,  or  we  may  be  rendered  uncon- 
scious through  the  power  of  disease.  Even  if  there  is 
warning  and  consciousness,  we  will  have  enough  to  do 
in  that  hour  without  having  to  make  our  peace  with 
God.  If  we  cannot  conquer  our  doubts  and  fears  when 
we  are  in  the  full  vigor  of  health,  how  can  we  expect 
to  conquer  them  in  the  gathering  weakness  of  the  last 
moments  of  life  ?  "  If  in  the  land  of  peace,  wherein 
thou  trustedst,  they  wearied  thee,  then  how  wilt  thou 
do  in  the  swelling  of  Jordan  ?''  It  is  not  safe  to  put 
off  the  duty  of  faith,  even  if  we  were  sure  that  we 
would  live  many  years.  The  great  majority  of  those 
who  are  converted  are  converted  in  youth.  When 
youth  has  passed,  every  year  lessens  the  probability  of 


22  UNITED  PRESS  YTERTANISM. 

conversion.  If  we  are  not  led  to  love  God  while  the 
heart  is  tender,  it  is  not  likely  that  we  will  ever  love 
him.     Therefore,  believe,  and  believe  now. 

These  are  some  of  the  prominent  reasons  why  we 
should  at  once  believe  in  Christ.  Oh  !  that  the  Spirit 
would  bring  them  with  such  power  to  our  souls  that 
each  one  of  us  would  say,  "  I  receive  and  rest  upon 
Christ  alone  for  salvation,  as  he  is  offered  in  the 
gospel." 


CHAPTER  11. 

CONFESSION   OF   FAITH. 

With  the  mouth  confession  is  made  unto  salvation. — Itom.  x.  10. 

"TpAITH  is  man^s  great  duty.  The  only  answer 
"-■-  which  the  word  of  God  permits  us  to  make  to 
the  question,  "What  must  I  do  to  be  saved?"  is, 
"Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  But  is  this  all ? 
Reason  teaches  us  that  if  there  is  faith  in  the  heart,  it 
must  manifest  itself  in  the  life.  The  Scriptures  teach 
the  same  truth.  Inward  belief  and  outward  confession 
must  go  together.  Jesus  says,  "  Whosoever  shall  con- 
fess me  before  men,  him  will  I  confess  before  my 
Father  which  is  in  heaven."  John  says,  "  Whosoever 
shall  confess  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God,  God  dwell- 
eth  in  him  and  he  in  God."  Paul  says,  "If  thou  shalt 
confess  with  thy  mouth  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  shalt  be- 
lieve in  thine  heart  that  God  hath  raised  him  from  the 
dead,  thou  shalt  be  saved.  For  with  the  heart  man 
believeth  unto  righteousness ;  and  with  the  mouth  con- 
fession is  made  unto  salvation."     These  passages  make 

it  plain  that,  if  we  have  that  saving  faith,  in  which  we 

(23) 


24  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM, 

receive  and  rest  upon  Christ  alone  for  salvation,  as  he  is 
offered  in  the  gospel,  we  will  and  must  confess  our  faith 
before  men. 

And  what  is  confession  ?  The  word,  which  is  trans- 
lated "confess"  in  the  passages  quoted,  is  often  ren- 
dered "  profess.''  It  properly  means  an  expression  of 
our  agreement  with  something  which  is  spoken  or 
maintained  by  others.  In  a  religious  sense,  confession 
is  an  expression  of  our  agreement  with  what  God  holds 
and  declares  to  be  true.  This  confession  must  be  a 
public  one,  for  it  is  expressly  said  to  be  "  with  the 
mouth."  A  confession  or  profession  of  religion,  there- 
fore, denotes  a  public  assent  to  all  the  declarations 
of  God  about  his  nature  and  law,  about  our  sinfulness 
and  need  of  a  Saviour,  about  heaven  and  hell,  about 
the  Holy  Ghost  and  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  about  all 
other  matters  contained  in  his  holy  word.  As  the  doc- 
trine respecting  the  Redeemer  is  the  leading  doctrine 
of  revelation,  and  as  faith  in  the  Redeemer  is  our  main 
duty,  a  religious  confession  may  be  defined  to  be  an 
open  and  public  acknowledgment  of  our  belief  in 
Christ  as  he  is  revealed  and  offered  to  us  in  the  gospel. 
vSuch  an  acknowledgment  includes  a  profession  of  our 
belief  in  all  the  kindred  truths  of  revelation.  Bearing 
in  mind  this  definition,  we  are  ready  to  discuss  in  this 
chapter  the  relation  between  faith  and  confession,  the 


CONFESSION  OF  FAITH.  25 

way  in  which  confession  should  be  made,  and  the  im- 
portance of  such  a  confession. 

THE   ORDER   OF   A    CONFESSION   OF    FAITH. 

Confession  is  not  man's  first  duty,  for  it  is  manifest 
that  he  must  have  faith  before  he  can  confess  it.  A 
public  confession  is  not  a  means  of  grace,  in  the  sense 
in  which  prayer  and  the  reading  of  the  word  are  means 
of  grace.  We  can  exhort  every  one  to  '^search  the 
Scriptures,"  and  to  be  diligent  in  prayer,  and  we  can 
assure  him  that  there  is  hope  that  he  will  be  saved,  if 
he  uses  these  means  rightly ;  but  we  cannot  advise  a 
man  to  make  a  profession  of  religion  till  he  has  some 
religion  to  profess.  Faith  must  precede  confession. 
The  first  duty  is,  "  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ;" 
the  second  is,  "Confess  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God." 
This  is  the  divinely  appointed  order,  and  it  cannot 
be  reversed.  Every  man  must,  therefore,  determine 
whether  he  has  faith  in  Christ,  before  he  can  take  this 
second  step  in  the  path  of  Christian  duty.  Can  this 
be  determined?  Can  any  one  know  whether  he  has 
saving  faith  ?  Are  there  evidences  of  faith,  so  plain 
and  easily  understood,  that  they  cannot  be  mistaken  ? 
The  word  of  God  answers  these  questions  in  the 
affirmative.     What  are  some  of  these  evidences? 

One  evidence  of  faith  is  a  hatred  of  sin.     Nothing 


26  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

reveals  the  great  evil  of  sin  so  plainly  as  the  sufferings 
of  Golgotha.  If  we  believe  that  Jesus  died  for  our 
sins,  we  will  hate  them  and  turn  from  them.  Of 
course,  we  cannot  hope  for  perfect  sinlessness  in  the 
present  life,  "For  there  is  not  a  just  man  upon  earth, 
that  doeth  good,  and  sinneth  not."  While  we  remain 
in  the  flesh,  we  must  expect  the  flesh  to  lust  against 
the  Spirit,  and  the  Spirit  against  the  flesh.  Still,  the 
man  who  believes  in  Jesus  will  long  and  struggle  for 
deliverance,  and  will  hate  sin  more  and  more.  Do  you 
hate  sin  ?  Do  you  "abhor  that  which  is  evil,  cleave 
to  that  which  is  good  ? "  If  you  do,  you  have  one 
evidence  of  the  possession  of  saving  faith,  for  hatred 
of  sin  is  a  result  of  faith. 

Another  evidence  of  faith  is  love  for  God.  By 
nature,  the  sinner  fears  God,  for  he  knows  that  he  is 
an  enemy  of  God.  He  dreads  every  approach  into  the 
presence  of  God.  But  when  he  sees  the  love  of  God, 
as  manifested  in  the  gift  of  his  Son,  and  feels  that  Go4's 
love  is  extended  towards  him,  his  fear  and  dread  give 
place  to  love  for  the  heavenly  Father,  who  has  done 
so  much  for  him.  It  ought  not  to  be  difficult  to  dis- 
cover whether  we  love  God  or  not.  We  have  no 
trouble  in  deciding  whether  we  love  an  earthly  friend. 
If  we  love  God,  we  will  take  pleasure  in  thinking 
.about  him,  in  communing  with  him,  and  in  doing  that 


CONFESSION  OF  FAITH.  27 

which  is  pleasing  in  his  sight.  Our  old  thoughts  of 
God  as  a  tyrant  will  pass  away,  and  we  will  think  of 
hira  as  our  reconciled  Father.<»  Do  you  love  God? 
Is  your  meditation  of  him  sweet?  Is  it  your  delight 
to  please  him  ?  If  so,  you  have  another  evidence  of 
the  possession  of  saving  faith,  for  love  to  God  is  a 
result  of  faith. 

Another  evidence  of  faith  is  love  for  the  saints. 
"By  this  shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are  my  disciples, 
if  ye  have  love  one  to  another."  This  Christian  affec- 
tion is  cherished  towards  all  disciples,  not  because  they 
are  bound  to  us  by  the  ties  of  nature  or  of  gratitude, 
but  simply  because  they  are  disciples.  It  reveals  itself 
in  kind  words,  helpful  deeds  and  loving  prayers.  Do 
you  have  such  love  ?  If  so,  you  have  another  evidence 
of  the  possession  of  saving  faith. 

Another  evidence  of  faith  is  a  sincere  resolution  and 
endeavor  to  keep  the  commandments  of  God.  "Ye 
are  my  friends,  if  ye  do  whatsoever  I  command  you." 
We  can  learn  the  Lord's  commandments  only  from  the 
Scriptures.  Those  who  study  the  Bible,  and  who  live 
according  to  its  precepts,  have  evidence  of  faith, 
"Because  the  carnal  mind  is  enmity  against  God  :  for 
it  is  not  subject  to  the  law  of  God,  neither  indeed  can 
be." 

Another  evidence  of  faith  is  a  consciousness  of  having 


28  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM, 

accepted  Christ  as  he  is  oiFered  in  the  gospel.  P>ery 
believer  ought  to  be  able  to  say,  "  He  loved  me  and 
gave  himself  for  me."  This  assurance  does  not  rest 
on  any  revelation  of  God's  purposes  concerning  our 
election,  or  on  the  possession  of  any  good  qualities 
which  recommend  us  to  the  favorable  notice  of  God, 
but  solely  on  the  free  oifer  of  Christ  to  sinners.  We 
accept  him  because  he  is  offered  to  us,  and  as  he 
is  offered.  Do  you  thus  accept  Christ  and  rely  on 
him  alone  for  salvation  ?  If  you  do,  you  have 
faith. 

By  means  of  these  and  other  evidences,  laid  down 
in  the  word,  and  applied  to  the  life  in  careful  and 
prayerful  self-examination,  every  one  can  determine 
whether  he  has  faith  in  Christ.  If  he  has  not  faith, 
his  duty  is  to  believe.  This  is  the  first  step,  and  no 
other  is  possible  till  this  is  taken.  If  he  has  faith, 
what  is  his  next  duty  ?  It  is  to  confess  his  faith  in  the 
way  God  has  appointed.  Just  at  this  point  many  hesi- 
tate and  stumble.  They  hope  they  have  accepted 
Christ  as  their  Saviour,  but  they  are  afraid  they  are 
not  yet  ready  to  make  a  profession  of  religion.  If  you 
hate  sin,  if  you  love  God  and  his  people,  if  you  are 
sincerely  trying  to  keep  his  commandments,  and  if  you, 
knowing  who  Christ  is  and  what  he  has  done,  intelli- 
gently accept  him  as  he  is  offered,  you  have  faith,  and 


CONFESSION  OF  FAITH.  29 

it  is  your  duty  to  show  your  faith  by  a  public  confes- 
sion.    How  can  such  a  confession  be  made  ? 

THE   MANNER   OF   A    CONFESSION   OF   FAITH. 

1.  A  confession  of  faith  is  to  be  made  by  a  union 
with  the  church.  A  confession,  as  already  defined,  is  a 
public  declaration  of  our  belief  in  the  testimony  of  God 
concerning  his  Son,  and  of  our  acceptance  of  Christ  as 
our  Saviour.  It  must  be  a  public  declaration.  The 
very  essence  of  a  confession  "  with  the  mouth  "  is  mak- 
ing known  to  others  the  belief  of  our  hearts.  Nothing, 
therefore,  can  be  called  a  confession  which  is  not  made 
publicly,  in  the  presence  of  men.  Nor  can  anything 
be  called  by  this  name  which  does  not  distinctly  de- 
clare our  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus.  Whatever  else  there 
may  be  in  it,  it  must  contain  a  profession  of  our  ac- 
ceptance of  Christ  as  our  Saviour.  Anything  which 
fulfils  these  two  essentials  may  be  called  a  confession. 
A  man  might  stand  at  the  corner  of  the  streets  with  a 
placard  hung  about  his  neck  on  which  was  inscribed, 
"  Christ  is  my  Saviour ; "  he  might  publish  his  faith 
through  the  daily  press ;  he  might  stop  every  man  he 
met  and  tell  him  of  his  Christianity ;  but  these  are 
not  the  ways  God  has  appointed.  The  way  of  divine 
appointment  is  by  a  union  with  the  church. 

A  union  with  the  church  meets  the  essentials  of  a 


30  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

confession.  Whether  it  is  made  in  the  presence  of  the 
session  alone,  or  in  the  presence  of  the  session  and  con- 
gregation, it  is  a  public  act.  It  is,  also,  a  declaration 
of  faith  in  Christ,  for  while  the  man  is  required  to  pro- 
fess his  adherence  to,  and  belief  in  the  doctrines  of  the 
church  with  which  he  is  uniting,  the  most  important 
part  of  his  profession  is  in  answer  to  the  question,  "Do 
you  profess  your  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  your 
acceptance  of  him  as  your  Saviour,  and  your  resolu- 
tion, through  grace,  to  continue  in  the  faith  ? ''  He  who 
makes  this  profession,  whose  name  is  recorded  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  church,  and  who  takes  his  seat  with  the  people 
of  the  Lord  at  the  table  of  the  Lord,  says  by  these  acts, 
in  the  presence  of  all  men,  "I  am  a  disciple  of  Jesus.'* 
Such  a  union  with  the  church  is  the  divinely  ap- 
pointed way  of  making  a  confession  of  faith.  God 
has  established  a  church  in  the  world,  and  he  has 
mentioned  faith  in  his  Son  as  the  distinguishing  char- 
acteristic of  the  true  members  of  the  church.  Hence, 
it  is  evident,  that  the  church  is  designed  for  believers. 
God  declares  that  his  people  are  "  not  of  the  world ;  '*' 
he  calls  them  "his  peculiar  people;''  he  commands 
them  to  be  "  separate,"  and  the  line  of  separation  is 
the  line  which  divides  the  church  from  the  world. 
In  connection  with  all  this,  the  Saviour's  repeated 
words   concerning   confessing    him    before   men,   and 


COKFESSION  OF  FAIIH.  31 

being  ashamed  of  him  before  men,  point  plainly  to  a 
union  with  the  church.  The  design  of  the  church, 
the  characteristics  of  its  members,  the  commands  of 
God  and  the  invitations  of  the  gospel  prove,  beyond 
question,  that  such  a  union  with  the  church  is  the 
divinely  appointed  way  of  making  a  public  confession 
of  faith. 

A  union  with  the  church  is  a  natural  expression  of 
faith.  If  a  man  believes  that  Christ  has  saved  his 
soul,  he  will  love  Christ ;  and  where  there  is  love, 
there  will  be  an  earnest  desire  to  keep  the  Saviour's 
commandments.  One  prominent  command  is,  "Do 
this  in  remembrance  of  me.''  But  before  we  can 
commemorate  the  Saviour's  death  by  partaking  of  the 
emblems  of  his  broken  body  and  shed  blood,  we  must 
make  a  profession  of  his  name  by  a  union  with  his 
church.  Can  it  be  possible  that  any  one,  who  has  love 
for  the  Redeemer,  will  knowingly  and  persistently  re- 
fuse to  obey  any  of  his  commandments,  especially  his 
dying  request  for  remembrance?  Humanly  speaking, 
we  might  forget  or  disobey  any  other  command,  but  to 
forget  or  disobey  the  command  spoken  by  Jesus,  when 
he  was  about  to  drink  to  the  very  dregs  the  wine  of 
God's  wrath  prepared  for  us,  would  be  beyond  the 
baseness  of  ingratitude.  Besides  this,  if  there  is  a  true 
love  for  the  Saviour,  there  will  be  an  earnest  desire  to 


32  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

extend  his  kingdom  and  promote  his  glory.  Can  this 
be  done  by  remaining  openly  on  the  side  of  Satan  ?  by 
using  our  example  and  influence  in  the  service  of  the 
great  enemy  of  souls?  It  is  impossible.  If  we  would 
fight  the  good  figlit  of  faith  and  assist  the  Captain  of 
our  salvation  in  his  holy  warfare  against  the  adversary, 
we  must  number  ourselves  with  his  followers,  and  put 
on  his  uniform  and  armor. 

As  a  union  with  the  church  is  a  matter  of  divine 
appointment,  and  a  natural  expression  of  faith  in 
Christ,  it  may  be  said,  without  fear  of  contradiction, 
that  in  ordinary  circumstances  the  visible  church  is 
the  only  door  through  which  we  can  enter  the  church 
invisible.  We  must  enlist  in  the  church  militant,  and 
we  must  serve  the  time  of  our  enlistment,  whether  it  is 
long  or  short,  or  we  cannot  expect  to  have  our  names 
enrolled  among  the  members  of  the  church  triumphant. 
Of  course,  there  are  extraordinary  circumstances,  of 
rare  occurrence,  in  which  a  union  with  the  church  is 
impossible ;  but  in  all  ordinary  cases,  union  with  the 
church  must  precede  entrance  into  glory.  Those  who 
confess  Christ  before  men  in  the  appointed  way  are  the 
only  ones  who  have  the  right  to  expect  that  he  will 
confess  them  before  his  Father,  who  is  in  heaven. 

The  conclusion  from  all  this  is  obvious.  If  you 
have  scriptural  evidence  that  you  have  accepted  Christ 


CONFESSION  OF  FAITH.  33 

as  your  Saviour,  it  is  your  duty  to  confess  your  faith 
by  a  union  with  the  church.  Your  faith  may  as  yet 
be  weak,  but  you  cannot  strengthen  it  by  neglecting  a 
plain  duty.  You  may  feel  your  un worthiness  and  sin- 
fulness, but  greater  holiness  can  be  reached  only 
through  sincere  endeavor  to  keep  God's  command- 
ments. Delay  can  be  of  no  advantage  ;  it  but  hinders 
the  blessing.  Every  man's  first  duty  is  to  believe  in 
Christ.  When  this  duty  has  been  performed,  he  is  to 
show  his  faith  by  a  union  with  the  church. 

2.  A  confession  of  faith  is  to  be  made  by  a  holy  and 
consistent  life.  Some  seem  to  think  that  their  whole 
duty  is  performed,  when  they  have  united  with  the 
church  and  taken  a  seat  at  the  communion  table. 
They  regard  their  confession  as  then  ended,  and  they 
flatter  themselves  that  all  they  have  to  do  is  to  wait 
till  Christ  acknowledges  them  in  glory.  But  this  is  a 
serious  error.  Union  with  the  church  is  only  one 
step ;  many  others  must  be  taken  before  the  end  of  the 
Christian  journey  is  reached.  These  many  other  steps 
are  briefly  described  in  the  words,  a  holy  and  consistent 
life.  Such  a  life  is  the  outgrowth  and  evidence  of  true 
faith  in  Christ,  and  real  membership  in  the  church. 

"What  is  it  to  live  a  holy  life?  It  is  to  imitate 
Christ's  example,  for  he  has  left  us  an  example  that 
we  should  follow  in  his  steps.     He  went  about  doing 


34  UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  ISM. 

good,  he  healed  the  sick,  he  comforted  the  sorrowing, 
he  preached  the  gospel  to  the  poor,  he  lived  for  our 
fallen  race,  he  was  *Mioly,  harmless,  undefiLed,  separate 
from  sinners."  We  are  to  strive  to  be  like  him.  If 
we  would  know  how  we  should  conduct  ourselves  at 
any  time  or  in  any  place,  we  should  ask  and  answer  in 
the  light  of  revelation  this  question:  "What  would 
Jesus  have  said,  what  would  he  have  done  in  such  cir- 
cumstances as  these  ?"  To  live  a  holy  life  is  to  keep 
Christ's  commandments.  He  has  left  us,  not  only  an 
example  to  be  imitated,  but  also  commandments  to  be 
obeyed.  These  commandments  are  plain  and  com- 
plete. He  who  is  familiar  with  the  Saviour's  instruc- 
tions will  not  often  be  at  a  loss  to  know  what  his  duty 
is.  An  earnest  striving  after  perfect  obedience  is  good 
evidence  of  the  reality  of  our  faith  and  the  sincerity  of 
our  profession.  Owing  to  our  weakness  and  depravity 
of  heart,  we  will  sometimes  transgress.  Because  a 
man  now  and  then  falls  into  sin,  it  is  not  conclusive 
evidence  that  he  is  a  child  of  wrath ;  but  no  one  can 
claim  to  be  holy  who  refuses  to  obey  the  known  com- 
mandments of  God.  To  confess  Christ  and  to  disobey 
him  is  a  contradiction  in  terms.  To  live  a  holy  life  is 
to  submit  to  Christ's  will.  He  is  the  Lord  of  provi- 
dence as  well  as  God  of  revelation.  He  sends  or  per- 
mits the  disappointments,  sorrows  and  trials,  which  so 


CONFESSION  OF  FAITH.  35 

often  visit  the  homes  and  hearts  of  men ;  and  it  is 
as  much  our  duty  to  submit  patiently  to  these  dispen- 
sations of  Providence  as  it  is  to  obey  the  commands 
of  the  decalogue. 

Those  who  strive  to  imitate  Christ's  example,  to 
keep  his  commandments,  and  to  submit  to  his  will,  are 
living  a  holy  life.  Our  imitation,  obedience  and  sub- 
mission may  be,  and  must  be,  imperfect,  but  every 
one  who  honestly  tries  for  these  graces  is  confessing 
Christ.  It  is  to  be  observed,  that  a  union  with  the 
church  and  an  endeavor  to  live  a  holy  life  must  go 
together.  Neither  is  sufficient  in  itself.  If  we  unite 
with  the  church  and  try,  with  watchfulness  and 
prayer,  to  live  a  holy  life,  we  are  confessing  Christ  be- 
fore men,  as  he  has  commanded  us  to  do,  and  we 
have  a  right  to  expect  his  blessing. 

THE    IMPORTANCE   OF   A   CONFESSIOX   OF   FAITH. 

1.  A  public  profession  of  faith  is  a  safeguard  against 
temptation.  It  does  not  prevent  temptations,  but  it 
helps  to  resist  them.  A  man  who  has  taken  the  vows 
of  church  membership,  and  who  knows  that  the  eyes 
of  the  church  and  the  world  are  upon  him,  finds  it 
easier  to  do  the  right  and  abstain  from  the  wrong.  A 
sense  of  honor  puts  him  on  his  guard.  When  he  is 
tempted  to  go  where  he  should  not  go,  to  do  what  he 


36  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

should  not  do,  or  to  say  what  he  should  not  say,  the 
remembrance  of  his  solemn  profession  will  check  the 
sinful  step,  deed,  or  word.  He  can  say  to  every 
tempter,  "  From  henceforth  let  no  man  trouble  me ;  for 
I  bear  in  my  body  the  marks  of  the  Lord  Jesus/' 

2.  A  public  profession  is  a  help  to  faithfulness.  We 
have  many  difficult  duties  to  perform,  and  owing  to 
our  weakness  we  need  help  in  this  direction.  The 
great  inspiration  to  faithfulness  is  the  love  of  Christ 
and  the  reward  he  has  promised  to  the  faithful ;  but 
the  assistance  which  comes  from  a  confession  of  faith 
should  not  be  overlooked.  Every  man  who  has  taken 
the  vows  of  God  upon  him,  and  who  has  any  proper 
sense  of  the  obligation  of  these  vows,  will  be  diligent 
in  reading  and  hearing  the  word,  in  prayer  and  self- 
examination,  in  laboring  for  his  own  sanctification  and 
the  sanctification  of  others,  in  consecrating  himself  and 
his  possessions  to  the  service  of  God,  and  in  every 
other  good  word  and  work.  AYhen  he  grows  careless 
in  duty,  the  remembrance  of  his  public  profession  will 
spur  him  to  renewed  diligence.  His  language  will 
ever  be  that  of  the  Psalmist,  "  Thy  vows  are  upon  me, 
O  God ;  I  will  render  praise  unto  thee." 

3.  A  public  profession  is  necessary  in  order  to  exert 
a  good  influence  upon  others.  It  should  be  the  aim  of 
every  man  to  lead  his  fellows  to  holiness,  usefulness, 


CONFESSION  OF  FAITH.  37 

and  happiness.  This  end  can  be  reached  only  by 
bringing  them  to  Christ.  We  are  the  keepers  of  our 
brethren,  whether  we  realize  it  or  not.  We  are  con- 
tinually exerting  an  influence  on  them,  either  for  good 
or  evil.  If  our  influence  would  be  for  good,  we  must 
not  only  give  them  counsel,  we  must  also  set  them  an 
example.  What  influence  can  one  have  for  good 
who  is  openly  on  the  side  of  evil  ?  What  success  can 
a  man  have  in  bringing  men  to  Christ  who  refuses  to 
acknowledge  Christ  as  his  Lord  ?  Eloquent  preaching 
will  avail  little  without  a  holy  life  behind  it.  Earnest 
entreaties  are  in  vain  where  there  is  not  a  consistent 
profession  to  give  them  emphasis.  No  one  can  hope 
for  any  measure  of  Paul's  success,  unless  he  can  say, 
with  something  of  PauFs  sincerity,  "  Be  ye  followers 
of  me,  even  as  I  also  am  of  Christ.'' 

4.  A  public  confession  of  faith  is  a  commanded  duty. 
That  which  God  has  commanded  must  be  important. 
Has  he  commanded  a  profession  of  religion  ?  Every 
one  who  is  familiar  with  the  teachings  of  the  Bible 
knows  he  has.  Because  this  is  a  commanded  duty,  we 
neglect  it  at  our  peril. 

It  is  true,  faith  is  the  appointed  prerequisite  to  sal- 
vation, but  it  is  not,  in  ordinary  cases,  the  only  one. 
If  we  would  be  shielded  against  temptation,  assisted 
in  duty,  useful  to  others,  and  obedient  to  God,  we 


38  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

must  make  a  profession  of  our  faith.  He  who  has 
said,  "Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ/'  has  also 
said,  "Confess  before  men."  The  Bible  makes  a  pro- 
fession of  religion  as  indispensable  to  salvation  as  be- 
lieving. 1^,  then,  you  have  scriptural  evidence  that 
you  believe  in  Christ,  it  is  your  present  duty  to  confess 
him  before  men,  for  it  is  written,  "  With  the  heart 
man  belie veth  unto  righteousness ;  and  with  the  mouth 
confession  is  made  unto  salvation." 


CHAPTER   III. 

THE   CHURCH. 

I>Lsi)ise  ye  the  church  of  God? — 1  Cor.  xi.  22. 

rriHE  divinely  appointed  way  of  making  a  confes- 
-^  sion  of  faith  in  Christ  is  by  a  union  with  the 
church.  Before  one  can  do  this  intelligently,  he  must 
know  what  the  church  is.  To  the  consideration  of  this 
point  we  turn  our  attention  in  the  present  chapter. 
What  is  the  church?  The  answer  to  this  question 
must  be  sought  in  the  word  of  God.  We  may  learn 
something  of  what  the  church  is  by  studying  its  work- 
ings and  observing  its  members;  but  if  we  would  know 
what  it  was  designed  to  bo,  and  what  it  ought  to  be, 
we  must  go  to  the  revelation  of  him  who  established 
it  in  the  world.  When  we  turn  to  our  Bibles,  one  of 
the  first  things  which  arrests  our  attention  is,  that  the 
word  is  used  in  a  variety  of  senses. 
i 

THE   DIFFERENT   MEANINGS   OF    THE    WORD. 

The  word  ''church'^  does  not  occur  in  our  transla- 
tion of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures.     Still,  it  is  evi- 

(39) 


40  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

dent  that  there  was  a  church  before  the  incarnation. 
The  Jewish  church  is  called  "Israel,"  "Jerusalem," 
"Zion."  Every  careful  reader  of  the  Bible  knows 
that  the  glorious  things  spoken  of  Zion  and  Jerusalem 
in  the  prophets  and  the  Psalms  have  reference  to  the 
church  of  God.  In  our  translation  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, the  word  is  found  no  less  than  one  hundred  and 
ten  times,  but  it  does  not  always  have  the  same  mean- 
ing. The  writers  of  the  New  Testament  never  use  it, 
as  we  so  often  do,  to  describe  the  house  in  which  Chris- 
tians meet  for  the  worship  of  God,  although  it  very 
early  received  this  meaning. 

In  the  New  Testament,  the  church  sometimes  de- 
notes a  single  godly  family,  or  a  few  individuals  asso- 
ciated together  in  observing  the  institutions  of  the  gos- 
pel. "Greet  the  church  that  is  in  the  house  of  Aquila 
and  Priscilla."  "  Salute  the  church  which  is  in  the 
house  of  Nymphas."  It  is  likely  that  these  churches 
consisted  of  the  children  and  serv^ants  of  the  persons 
named,  and  of  a  few  neighbors  and  friends,  who,  hav- 
ing professed  the  faith,  met  at  their  houses  at  stated 
times  to  hear  the  word  and  to  unite  in  prayer  and 
praise.  We  have  reason  to  believe  that*  the  early 
Christians  conducted  their  worship,  for  the  most  part, 
in  their  homes.  They  were  poor  and  unable  to  build 
churches,  and  large  gatherings  in  public  places  would 
attract  attention  and  excite  persecution. 


THE  CHURCH.  41 

The  church  sometimes  signifies  all  the  Christians  in 
a  particular  city,  whether  they  assembled  for  worship 
in  one  place  or  in  several  places.  Such  expressions  as 
these  are  not  uncommon  in  the  New  Testament:  "The 
church  at  Antioch,"  "  the  church  in  Jerusalem,"  "  the 
church  in  Ephesus."  It  is  hardly  to  be  supposed  that 
in  such  large  cities,  where  the  apostles  had  labored  for 
years,  and  where  "  much  people "  had  been  added  to 
the  Lord,  all  the  professed  disciples  of  Jesus  could 
meet  in  one  place  for  worship.  We  must,  therefore, 
conclude  that  all  the  Christian  families  and  congrega- 
tions of  the  same  city  are  sometimes  called  the  church. 
We  also  read  of  the  churches  of  Judea,  the  churches 
of  Galatia,  the  churches  of  Macedonia,  the  churches  of 
Asia.  In  such  phrases,  the  term  describes  all  the  pro- 
fessing Christians  in  the  same  country  or  province. 

The  church  sometimes  signifies  all  the  disciples  of 
Christ  throughout  the  world.  "  The  church  of  God, 
which  he  hath  purchased  with  his  own  blood ; " 
"Christ  loved  the  church  and  gave  himself  for  it;" 
"  The  church  of  the  living  God,  the  pillar  and  ground 
of  the  truth."  In  these  passages,  and  in  many  other 
similar  ones,  the  terra  includes  all,  in  every  country 
and  in  every  age,  who  acknowledge  Jesus  Christ  as 
their  Lord. 

This  universal  church  is  sometimes  spoken  of  as  the 


42  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM, 

church  militant  and  the  church  triumphant.  The 
former  comprehends  those  who  are  engaged  in  spiritual 
warfare  on  earth,  wrestling  against  principalities  and 
powers,  struggling  with  the  temptations  of  the  world, 
the  flesh  and  the  devil,  and  in  some  cases  resisting 
even  unto  death.  The  latter  is  made  up  of  the  glori- 
fied saints,  who  have  overcome  by  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb,  and  obtained  the  crown  of  life  which  fadeth  not 
away.  But  they  both  constitute  one  church,  subject  to 
the  same  head,  animated  by  the  same  spirit,  interested 
in  the  same  things  and  engaged  in  the  same  worship. 

Another  distinction  must  be  made.  There  is  a 
church  visible  and  a  church  invisible.  The  Westmin- 
ster Confession  of  Faith  thus  defines  the  invisible 
church  :  *'  The  catholic  or  universal  church,  which  is 
invisible,  consists  of  the  whole  number  of  the  elect, 
that  have  been,  are,  or  shall  be  gathered  into  one 
under  Christ,  the  head  thereof."  Of  this  church  the 
Apostle  speaks:  "Christ  loved  the  church  and  gave 
himself  for  it ;  that  he  might  sanctify  and  cleanse  it 
with  the  washing  of  water  by  the  word,  that  he  might 
present  it  to  himself  a  glorious  church,  not  having 
spot  or  wrinkle  or  any  such  thing ;  but  that  it  should 
be  holy  and  without  blemish."  Some  of  the  members 
of  this  church  have  finished  their  course  and  entered 
into  heaven  ;  some  are  still  on  earth  ;  others  have  not 


THE  CHURCH.  43 

yet  been  born.  They  will  not  be  brought  into  one 
place  till  'the  end  comes;  and  then  they  will  constitute 
"  the  general  assembly  and  church  of  the  first-born, 
which  are  written  in  heaven."  This  is  the  true  church 
in  which  God  dwells,  for  which  Christ  died,  and  to 
which  the  promises  are  made.  "  Not  one  of  them  is 
lost."  It  is  said  to  be  invisible,  because  it  cannot  be 
discovered  by  the  eye.  That  part  of  it,  which  is  in 
heaven,  is  beyond  the  reach  of  human  knowledge.  So 
far  as  it  exists  on  earth,  it  lies  hidden  in  the  visible 
church,  from  which  it  cannot  be  certainly  distin- 
guished. The  qualifications  of  its  members  are  in- 
ternal ;  their  faith  and  love  are  not  objects  of  sense. 
If  we  try  to  separate  the  two,  we  are  liable  to  err,  and 
we  may  suppose  saints  to  be  hypocrites  and  hypocrites 
to  be  saints.  The  church  invisible  is  unseen  by  every 
eye,  save  the  eye  of  God.  He  only  "  knows  them  that 
are  his."  But  in  the  discussion  in  which  we  are  now 
engaged,  we  have  to  do  mainly  with 

THE   VISIBLE   CHURCH. 

The  visible  church,  according  to  our  Confession  of 
Faith,  "  consists  of  all  those  throughout  the  world  that 
profess  the  true  religion,  together  with  their  children ; 
and  is  the  kingdom  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the 
house  and  family  of  God,  out  of  which  there  is  no 


44  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

ordinary  possibility  of  salvation."  It  comprehends, 
therefore,  all  men,  no  matter  to  what  sect  they  belong, 
or  how  they  may  differ  in  some  particulars,  who  pro- 
fess faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  acknowledge  the  Scrip- 
tures of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  to  be  the  only 
rule  of  faith  and  practice,  and  observe  the  ordinances 
of  the  gospel.  Of  this  church  Paul  speaks  :  "I  perse- 
cuted the  church  and  wasted  it ; "  "  God  hath  set  some 
in  the  church,  first  apostles,  secondarily  prophets, 
thirdly  teachers,  after  that  miracles,  then  gifts  of  heal- 
ing, helps,  governments,  diversities  of  tongues/'  This 
church  is  called  visible,  because  the  persons  who  com- 
pose it  are  not  angels  or  invisible  spirits,  but  men 
dwelling  in  mortal  flesh.  It  is  a  human  society,  and 
falls  under  the  observation  of  our  senses.  Its  members 
are  known;  its  assemblies  are  public;  we  may  be 
present  in  them  and  witness  their  peculiar  rites  and 
ceremonies.  We  recognize  it  as  we  recognize  any 
other  society.  Having  learned  from  the  Scriptures  the 
characteristics  of  its  members,  wherever  we  see  a  so- 
ciety which  conforms  to  this  Scripture  pattern  in  its 
creed  and  observances,  we  must  recognize  that  society 
as  the  visible  church,  or  rather  as  a  part  of  the  visible 
church. 

THE   HEAD   OF  THE  VISIBLE   CHURCH. 

The  head  of  the  visible  church  is  Christ.     In  this 


THE  CHURCH.  45 

respect,  it  is  like  the  church  invisible.  Christ  says 
of  it,  "Upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church/'  It 
is  called  "  the  church  of  God/'  "  the  church  of  the 
living  God."  Christ  is  said  to  be  •'  the  head  of  the 
church/'  and  the  church  is  said  to  be  "subject  unto, 
Christ."  It  is  not  the  outgrowth  of  human  wisdom, 
God  has  established  the  church  in  the  world.  By  his 
word  and  Spirit  he  calls  men  into  it  and  prepares  them 
for  connection  with  it.  He  has  given  laws  for  its 
government,  which  are  to  be  found  in  his  inspired 
word.  He  has  appointed  certain  officers,  who  are  to 
administer  its  affairs  under  his  supreme  authority,  and 
who  are  responsible  to  him  for  their  faithfulness.  He 
defends  its  members  from  their  enemies  and  assures 
them  of  final  victory.  He  has  provided  for  them  a 
home  and  a  kingdom  in  the  glory  he  has  revealed. 
The  church  visible  is  God's  church.  It  is  compared 
to  a  temple,  in  which  he  delights  to  dwell.  Every 
thing  about  this  temple,  from  the  foundation  to  the 
topmost  stone,  is  designed  by  him  and  wrought  out  by 
his  appointed  agents.  It  therefore  becomes  us  to  think 
and  speak  of  the  church  with  reverence,  for  it  is  the 
dwelling-place  of  God. 

THE   DESIGN   OF   THE   VISIBLE   CHURCH. 

As  God  is  "  the  only  wise  God,"  we  may  be  sure 


46  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM, 

that  he  had  some  design  in  establishing  the  church  in 
the  world.  This  design  is  plainly  revealed  in  the 
Scriptures.  It  was  designed  to  be  the  depository  of 
divine  truth,  in  which  the  truth  should  be  preserved 
through  all  the  ages,  and  by  which  it  should  be  pub- 
lished to  the  world.  To  the  Jewish  church  were  com- 
mitted ''  the  oracles  of  God,"  and  this  sacred  trust  has 
been  transferred  to  the  Christian  church.  This  is  the 
reason  why  the  Apostle  calls  the  church  "  the  pillar 
and  ground  of  the  truth."  It  is  the  province  of  the 
church  to  lift  up  the  revealed  truth  in  the  presence  of 
men,  so  that  all  may  know  and  understand  it.  That 
church,  no  matter  by  what  name  it  is  called,  which 
does  not,  as  a  pillar,  hold  up  the  truth,  is  not  fulfilling 
the  design  of  its  appointment. 

The  church  was  also  designed  to  maintain  and  pre- 
serve the  ordinances  of  Christ.  Prominent  among 
these  ordinances  are  the  word,  sacraments  and  prayer. 
These  ordinances  were  appointed  for  the  glory  of  God 
through  the  salvation  of  men,  and  it  is  important 
that  they  should  be  observed  while  there  is  &  soul  to 
be  saved  and  a  God  to  be  glorified. 

The  church  was  also  intended  to  be  the  asylum  of 
sinners.  It  is  the  place  of  safety  in  that  time  of  de- 
struction which  is  coming  on  the  wicked.  It  is  like 
the  cities  of  refuge  in  the  promised  land,  to  which 

I 


THE   CHURCH.  47 

the  man-slayer  fled  from  the  avenger  of  blood.  Sinners 
are  called  by  the  gospel  to  leave  the  society  of  the 
world  and  to  enter  into  the  church  by  faith,  that  tliey 
may  escape  from  the  aj)proaching  woe. 

The  church  is  also  the  nursery  of  the  saints.  They 
have  duties  to  do  in  the  present  life  and  a  happi- 
ness to  enjoy  in  the  next;  and  they  are  trained  and 
prepared  for  present  duty  and  future  happiness  by 
the  instructions,  oversight  and  discipline  of  the 
church. 

This  is  what  God  designed  the  church  to  be  and  to 
do;  and  that  church  which  is  not  a  depository  of  the 
truth,  an  observer  of  the  ordinances  of  Christ,  an 
asylum  of  sinners  and  a  nursery  of  saints,  is  not  ful- 
filling the  end  of  its  organization. 

THE   MEMBERS   OF  THE   VISIBLE   CHURCH. 

As  God  is  the  King  and  head  of  the  church,  and  as 
he  has  established  it  for  the  accomplishment  of  certain 
ends,  it  is  evident  that  he  alone  has  the  right  to  pre- 
scribe the  qualifications  of  its  members.  The  teaching 
of  the  word  on  this  point  is  summed  up  in  the  follow- 
ing statement :  "All  who  profess  faith  in  Christ  and 
obedience  to  his  laws,  together  with  their  children,  are 
members  of  the  visible  church.'^  From  this  statement, 
and  from  the  texts  of  Scripture  on  which  it  is  founded, 


48  UNITED  PBESBYTERIANISM. 

we  can  discover  the  qualifications  of  the  members  of 
the  visible  church. 

1.  One  qualification  is  baptism.  Christ  has  ap- 
pointed this  as  the  rite  of  initiation  in  his  church. 
When  he  sent  the  apostles  to  establish  the  church  on 
earth  he  commanded  them :  "  Go  ye,  therefore,  and 
teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the 
Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.'^  Men 
are  to  be  made  disciples  by  baptism.  This  does  not 
mean  that  baptism  would  constitute  them  such,  or 
that  the  apostles  and  their  successors  were  to  baptize 
all  who  came  in  their  way;  but  that  they  were  to  re- 
ceive into  the  visible  church,  by  baptism,  all  who 
accepted  the  gospel  and  professed  faith  in  Christ.  As 
the  uncircumcised  were  not  recognized  as  members  of 
the  Jewish  church,  so  the  unbaptized  have  no  right  to 
enter  the  Christian  church.  It  does  not  follow,  how- 
ever, that  baptism  is  necessary  to  salvation,  for  men 
have  been  savingly  enlightened  when  they  were  in  such 
circumstances  that  baptism  was  impossible.  No  doubt, 
these  men  were  members  of  the  church  invisible,  but 
they  were  not  members  of  the  church  visible ;  and  it 
is  of  the  visible  church  we  are  speaking.  When  men 
have  access  to  this  church  they  are  bound  by  the 
highest  authority  to  enter  its  communion.  If  a  man 
knows  that  baptism  is  an  ordinance  of  Christ,  if  it  is 


THE  CHURCH.  49 

in  his  power  to  be  baptized,  and  if  he  deliberately 
neglects  this  rite,  he  cannot  be  regarded  as  a  member 
of  either  the  visible  or  invisible  church. 

2.  Another  qualification  of  the  members  of  the 
church  is  knowledge.  It  is  not  easy  to  say  how  much 
knowledge  is  necessary  in  order  to  a  right  profession 
of  faith.  Men  differ  so  much  in  education,  talents,  and 
opportunities,  that  it  would  be  unjust  to  require  the 
same  proficiency  in  all ;  but  unless  a  person  knows 
something  about  his  own  character  and  state,  some- 
thing about  the  person,  offices  and  work  of  the  Saviour, 
and  something  about  the  promises  of  God  and  the 
duties  of  a  Christian,  he  cannot  make  an  intelligent 
profession  of  faith,  or  be  received  as  a  member  of  the 
church.  The  ultimate  standard  of  knowledge  is  the 
Scriptures.  No  one  who  is  ignorant  of  the  doctrines 
of^race,  as  revealed  in  the  Bible,  has  a  right  to  a  place 
in  the  church. 

3.  Another  qualification  of  the  members  of  the 
church  is  a  pr^ofession  of  faith.  It  is  not  simply  the 
possession  of  knowledge  which  entitles  a  man  to  church 
membership,  but  a  public  declaration  of  his  knowledge 
of  the  gospel,  and  of  his  acceptance  of  Christ  as  a 
Saviour.  Nothing  need  be  said  here  on  this  point, 
as  it  was  discussed  at  considerable  length  in  the  last 
chapter. 


50     '  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

4.  Another  qualification  of  the  members  of  the 
church  is  a  holy  life.  As  this  point  was  also  discussed 
in  the  last  chapter,  we  pass  it  by  with  the  remark,  that 
Jesus  has  made  a  holy  life  the  rule  by  which  we  are 
to  judge  of  the  reality  of  our  profession,  and  of  the 
profession  of  others.  "  Ye  shall  know  them  by  their 
fruits.  Do  men  gather  grapes  of  thorns,  or  figs  of 
thistles  ? '' 

The  officers  of  the  church  have  to  judge  whether 
professors  of  religion,  and  those  who  desire  to  become 
professors  of  religion,  have  these  necessary  qualifica- 
tions ;  and  as  the  officers  of  the  church  are  men  and 
fallible,  they  are  sometimes  deceived.  Therefore,  in 
the  visible  church  there  is  a  mixture  of  saints  and  sin- 
ners, as  there  is  of  wheat  and  tares  in  the  field,  and  of 
grain  and  chaflp  on  the  threshing-floor ;  but  every  man 
who  has  been  baptized,  who  possesses  a  sufficient 
knowledge  of  the  Scriptures,  who  makes  a  public  pro- 
fession of  faith,  and  who  lives  a  consistent  life,  is  to 
be  recognized  as  a  member  of  the  visible  church.  If  he 
is  what  he  professes  to  be,  he  is  also  a  member  of  the 
church  invisible. 

THE   CHARACTERISTICS   OF   THE   VISIBLE   CHURCH. 

1.  Its  first  characteristic  is  its  unity.  Though  it  is 
scattered  through  different  lands  and  divided  into  dif- 


THE  CHURCH.  51 

ferent  sects,  it  is  one,  because  it  has  in  all  its  divisions 
"  one  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism,  one  God  and 
Father  of  all/^  Those  who  profess  the  true  religion 
agree  in  all  fundamental  points,  and  their  oneness  is 
not  destroyed  by  their  disagreement  in  minor  points. 
Particular  churches  are  but  parts  of  the  visible  church, 
which  is  one. 

2.  Another  characteristic  of  the  church  is  its  catho- 
licity.  It  is  adapted  to  the  needs  of  all  men,  and  its 
blessings  are  offered  to  all.  It  is  called  catholic,  or 
universal,  not  because  all  men  are  members  of  it,  but 
because  it  comprehends  all,  in  every  age  and  nation, 
who  profess  the  true  religion  and  observe  the  ordi- 
nances of  the  gospel.  And  inspired  prophecy  gives  us 
reason  to  hope  that,  in  some  future  age,  all  the  world 
will  be  converted,  and  all  its  inhabitants  will  be  wor- 
shipers of  the  living  God  and  followers  of  his  Christ. 

3.  Another  characteristic  of  the  church  is  its  "per- 
petuity.  In  the  most  degenerate  times  God  has  had  a 
faithful  seed  to  do  him  service,  and  we  believe,  on  the 
best  authority,  that  as  the  church  has  existed  from  its 
erection  to  the  present  day,  so  it  will  continue  through 
all  subsequent  ages,  till  the  second  coming  of  Christ. 
"Upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church,  and  the 
gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it." 


52  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

DESPISING   THE   VISIBLE   CHURCH. 

We  might  suppose  that  all  men  who  know  anything 
about  the  visible  church  would  delight  to  do  it  honor. 
God  has  established  it  in  the  world ;  its  design  is  a 
noble  one  ;  its  members  are  the  honorable  of  earth  ;  its 
characteristics  are  such  as  to  commend  it  to  a  high 
place  in  our  esteem.  It  would  seem  as  if  God  had 
done  everything  to  recommend  his  church  to  the  favor- 
able notice  of  men ;  and  yet  there  are  those  who  are 
daily  brought  into  contact  with  the  church  who  openly 
despise  it.  v 

How  may  we  despise  the  church  ? 

1.  We  may  despise  the  church  by  refusing  to  unite 
with  it  The  Saviour  commands  us  to  confess  him 
before  men.  We  have  seen  that  the  appointed  and 
only  way  of  confessing  our  faith  is  by  identifying  our- 
selves with  the  church.  Those  who  do  not  identify 
themselves  with  the  church  are  guilty  of  open  disobe- 
dience. They  say  that  there  is  no  use  in  the  church ; 
that  they  can  be  believers  out  of  it  as  well  as  in  it. 
God  did  not  think  so,  or  he  would  not  have  organized 
a  church  for  the  good  of  men.  And  what  are  we  that 
we  should  claim  to  be  wiser  than  God  ?  Some  excuse 
themselves  for  not  uniting  with  the  church  because  of 
the  unworthy  lives  of  church  members.     It  is  to  be 


THE  CHURCH.  53 

regretted  that  their  excuse  has  so  much  foundation. 
Nevertheless,  when  God  instituted  the  visible  church, 
he  did  not  give  the  officers  of  that  church  the  power 
of  omniscience,  to  know  the  hearts  of  men.  There- 
fore,  there  ever  has  been,  and  there  ever  will  be,  from 
the  very  nature  of  the  case,  a  mixture  of  saints  and 
sinners  in  the  church.  Though  this  is  known  to  the 
Saviour,  he  commands  men  to  confess  him ;  and  there 
is  no  better  way  of  confessing  him  than  by  a  union 
with  the  church,  unworthy  as  many  of  its  members 
confessedly  are.  The  sins  of  others  do  not  excuse  our 
sinfulness.  The  inconsistent  lives  of  church  members 
do  not  repeal  the  command  of  God.  As  long  as  that 
command  remains  in  force,  those  who  refuse  to  connect 
themselves  with  the  church  are  guilty  of  despising  it. 

2.  We  may  despise  the  church  by  an  improper  oh- 
servance  of  its  ordinances.  Some  of  the  members  of 
the  Corinthian  church  had  fallen  into  this  sin.  They 
had  been  recently  converted  from  heathenism,  and, 
taking  pattern  from  the  feasts  they  had  been  wont  to 
observe  in  honor  of  their  former  gods,  they  made  the 
Lord's  Supper  an  occasion  for  revelry.  Paul  describes 
and  rebukes  their  sin  in  the  question,  "  Despise  ye  the 
church  of  God?''  Professing  Christians  do  not  now 
make  the  sacrament  of  the  Supper  a  drunken  feast. 
But  this  is  not  the  only  way  of  observing  improperly 


54  UNITED  PRESS  YTERIANISM. 

the  ordinances  of  religion.    Those  who  do  not  perform 

the  preparatory  duty  of  self-examination,  who  look 

upon  baptism  with  superstitious  feelings,  who  hear  and 

read   the  word   of   God   with    carelessness,  and   who 

* 
neglect  secret,  family,  or  public  prayer,  are  guilty  of 

despising  the  ordinances  of  the  church,  and  the  church 

itself.     They  say  by  their  conduct  that  the  divinely 

appointed  rites  of  religion  are  of  no  value. 

3.  We  may  despise  the  church  by  endeavoring  to  do 
by  other  means  what  God  intended  to  be  done  by  his 
church.  We  have  already  seen  the  design  of  God  in 
establishing  the  church,  but  men  sometimes  try  to 
accomplish  this  design  in  a  way  entirely  separate  from 
the  church.  They  attempt  to  increase  human  happi- 
ness, to  reform  the  vile,  to  care  for  the  poor,  and  to  in- 
struct the  young,  by  means  of  various  societies  and 
associations.  The  design  of  these  societies  may  be 
commendable,  but  in  so  far  as  they  aim  to  do  what 
God  intended  to  be  done  by  his  church,  they  are  to  be 
condemned ;  and  those  who  identify  themselves  with 
these  societies  and  neglect  tlie  church  are  manifestly 
guilty  of  despising  the  church. 

This  is  the  visible  church  with  which  we  must  unite 
if  we  would  confess  our  faith  in  the  appointed  way. 
If  we  do  not  connect  ourselves  with  it  we  despise  it, 
and  impute  folly  to  God  who  established  it  in  the 


THE  CHURCH,  55 

world.  In  uniting  with  the  church  we  acknowledge 
Christ  as  our  king,  we  profess  to  have  the  character- 
istics of  its  members,  and  we  promise  to  labor  and 
pray  for  the  advancement  of  the  great  designs  for 
which  it  was  organized.  In  view  of  the  love  of  God 
as  manifested  in  the  church,  and  of  the  privileges  and 
blessings  it  offers  to  ourselves  and  others,  the  song  of 
our  grateful  hearts  should  ever  be,  "  If  I  forget  thee, 
O  Jerusalem,  let  my  right  hand  forget  its  cunning. 
If  I  do  not  remember  thee,  let  my  tongue  cleave  to 
the  roof  of  my  mouth ;  if  I  do  not  prefer  Jerusalem 
above  my  chief  joy." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE   DIFFERENT   CHURCHES. 

I  hear  that  there  be  divisions  among  you ;  and  I  partly  believe  it. 
—1  Cor.  xi.  18. 

rriHE  visible  church  is  one,  having  "  one  Lord,  one 
faith,  one  baptism,  one  God  and  Father  of  all." 
This  is  what  the  word  of  God  describes  it  to  be.  But 
when  we  turn  to  the  church,  as  it  actually  exists  on 
earth,  we  find  that  it  is  divided  into  different  denom- 
inations, each  one  claiming  that  its  creed  and  ob- 
servances are  more  in  accordance  with  the  revealed 
will  of  God  than  those  of  any  other.  But  we  have 
seen  that  the  visible  church  "consists  of  all  those 
throughout  the  world  who  profess  the  true  religion;" 
that  they  agree  in  all  fundamental  points,  that  their 
oneness  is  not  destroyed  by  their  disagreement  in  minor 
points,  and  that  particular  churches  are  but  parts  of 
the  church  visible,  which  is  one.  Still,  it  is  impossible 
for  a  man  to  unite  with  all  denominations ;  he  must 
select  one  out  of  the  many,  and  identify  himself  with 
it.     Suppose,  then,  that  we  believe  in  Christ  as  our 

Saviour,  and  that  we  are  persuaded  that  the  appointed 
(56) 


THE  DIFFERENT  CHURCHES.  57 

way  of  confessing  him  before  men  is  by  uniting  with 
his  church,  the  question  presents  itself  for  an  answer : 
With  what  denomination  of  the  church  should  we 
unite?  No  man  can  answer  this  question  intelligently, 
unless  he  knows  something  about  the  various  denom- 
inations, and  the  grounds  of  their  differences. 

THE    DIFFERENT   FORMS    OF   CHURCH    GOVERNMENT. 

It  would  be  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  say  into 
how  many  sects  the  visible  church  has  been  divided. 
Not  a  few  of  these  sects,  which  have  had  an  existence 
in  former  ages,  have  passed  away,  and  little  is  known 
of  them  save  their  names.  Many  are  now  in  exist- 
ence, laboring  side  by  side,  and  maintaining,  with 
greater  or  less  faithfulness,  the  truth  of  the  gospel  as 
they  understand  it.  It  is  not  unlikely  that  new  sects 
will  be  organized  in  the  future.  One  thing,  in  which 
these  many  sects  differ,  is  in  the  form  of  their  govern- 
ment. Their  agreement  or  disagreement  in  this  re- 
gard suggests  a  classification,  which  is  easily  remem- 
bered, and  which  is  sufficient  for  our  present  purpose. 

It  is  essential  to  a  church  that  it  should  have  some 
form  of  government.  It  is  a  human  society,  and  men 
cannot  work  together  with  efficiency  without  a  system 
of  laws  for  the  regulation  of  their  conduct.  It  is 
thought  by  some  that  the  form  of  church  government 


58  UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  ISM. 

is  a  matter  of  little  importance,  and  that  it  can  be 
changed  to  meet  the  circumstances  in  which  the  church 
is  placed.  We  are  told  that  one  form  is  best  in  one 
country  and  under  one  form  of  civil  government,  that 
another  is  best  in  another  land,  and  that  God  has  left 
it  to  the  wisdom  of  his  church  to  adapt  itself  to  its 
surroundings,  so  far  as  the  mere  form  of  its  govern- 
ment is  concerned.  But  this  theory  is  inconsistent 
with  the  minute  directions  God  gave  for  the  govern- 
ment of  the  Old  Testament  church.  Its  rulers,  their' 
duties,  responsibilities  and  rank,  are  described  with 
the  greatest  plainness.  If  God  thus  regulated  the 
affairs  of  the  Jewish  church,  it  w^ould  be  unreasonable 
to  suppose  that  he  would  leave  the  Christian  church 
without  regulation.  Nor  is  this  theory  consistent  with 
the  best  interests  of  tTie  church.  The  form  of  govern- 
ment is,  without  question,  an  important  element  in  the 
growth,  prosperity  and  success  of  the  church.  Eccle- 
siastical history  proves  conclusively  that  the  purity  and 
usefulness  of  the  church  depend  largely  on  its  methods 
of  administration.  It  would  not  be  consistent  with 
the  inspired  representations  of  God's  love  and  care  for 
the  Christian  church,  to  suppose  that  he  would  suffer 
so  important  a  matter  as  the  form  of  its  government  to 
be  determined  by  fallible  men.  The  history  of  the 
Jewish   church,   and    God's    love   for    the    Christian 


THE  DIFFERENT  CHURCHES.  59 

church,  must  lead  to  the  conclusion  that  some  form  of 
government  is  of  divine  appointment.  What  that 
appointed  form  is,  can  be  learned  only  from  the  New 
Testament  Scriptures. 

It  is  generally  agreed  that  the  New  Testament  is 
the  source  of  information  on  this  point ;  but  the  dif- 
ferent denominations  do  not  understand  its  teachings 
in  the  same  way.  Therefore,  some  have  adopted  one 
form  of  government;  others  have  adopted  another; 
and  all  appeal  to  the  Scriptures  as  their  authority. 
The  different  churches,  in  respect  to  their  forms  of 
government,  arrange  themselves  in  three  classes :  the 
Episcopal,  the  Congregational,  and  the  Presbyterian. 
To  one  of  these  classes  every  denomination  must  be- 
long. Those  who  belong  to  the  first  class  may  differ 
in  other  matters,  but  they  agree  in  maintaining  that 
the  Episcopal  form  of  church  government  is  the  one 
authorized  in  the  New  Testament.  So  those  who 
belong  to  the  second  class  are  of  the  opinion  that  Con- 
gregationalism, and  those  who  belong  to  the  third 
class,  that  Presbyterian  ism  is  the  appointed  form  for 
the  government  of  the  New  Testament  church.  The 
question  before  us  is :  Which  opinion  is  correct  ?  Is 
the  Episcopal,  the  Congregational,  or  the  Presbyterian 
form  of  government  the  one  authorized  by  the  word 
of  God  ?     When  this  matter  is  decided,  we  will  know 


eo  UNITED  PRESS  YTERTANISM, 

with  which  of  the  three  great  divisions  of  the  visible 
church  we  should  unite  in  order  to  confess  our  faith  in 
Christ  before  men  ;  for  it  is  evident  that  we  should 
identify  ourselves  with  the  one,  which  is  ^'  agreeable  to 
and  founded  on  "  the  word  of  God.  It  must  be  ad- 
mitted that  the  form  of  church  government  is  not  so 
fully  and  explicitly  taught  in  the  New  Testament,  as 
the  fundamental  articles  of  faith  and  the  great  duties 
of  morality.  None  but  the  most  furious  zealot  will 
dare  to  say  that  there  is  no  room  for  a  difference  of 
opinion.  Nevertheless,  a  study  of  the  Scriptures,  espe- 
cially of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  and  of  the  worship 
and  government  of  the  Jewish  synagogue,  which  is 
rightly  supposed  to  be  the  model  of  the  Christian 
church,  will  lead  to  a  reasonable  certainty  as  to  the 
appointed  order  of  church  government.  We  will  take 
up  the  three  forms  of  church  government,  and  test 
them  by  the  infallible  standard.  An  exhaustive  dis- 
cussion is  impossible  here.  Such  a  discussion  would 
require  a  volume.  We  will  attempt  only  in  the  brief- 
est and  plainest  manner  to  reach  the  truth. 

THE   EPISCOPAL    FORM   OF   CHURCH   GOVERNMENT. 

In  Episcopacy  there  are  three  orders  of  spiritual  offi- 
cers— deacons,  priests  or  presbyters,  and  bishops.  The 
lowest  is  the  order  of  deacons,  whose  office  is  to  read 


THE  DIFFERENT  CHURCHES.  61 

the  Scriptures,  homilies,  and  prayers  to  the  people,  and 
to  assist  the  presbyters  in  the  administration  of  the 
sacraments.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  presbyters  to  preach, 
to  read  prayers,  and  to  administer  the  sacraments.  It 
belongs  to  the  bishops  to  confirm  those  who  have  been 
baptized,  to  ordain,  try,  and  depose  presbyters  and 
deacons,  and  to  rule  over  their  dioceses,  in  which  all 
the  clergy  are  subject  to  their  authority.  Neither  pres- 
byters nor  deacons  have  any  share  in  the  government 
of  the  church — it  is  vested  solely  in  the  bishops.  The 
Roman  Catholic  church,  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
church,  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  a  few 
others  less  widely  known,  are  the  representatives  of 
this  form  of  church  government.  These  churches 
differ  somewhat  in  their  administration  ;  for  example, 
the  Roman  Catholic  church  affirms  that  the  bishop  or 
Pope  of  Rome  is  the  head  of  the  visible  church,  and 
that  from  him  all  the  other  bishops  derive  their  au- 
thority; but  they  are  alike  in  maintaining  that  there 
are  orders  of  spiritual  officers,  unequal  in  rank  and 
diverse  in  duty,  and  that  the  power  of  government 
belongs  alone  to  the  bishops.  Hence  the  name  Episco- 
pal, which  is  derived  from  a  Greek  word  which  means 
bishop. 

What  are  the  Scripture  arguments  in  support  of  this 
form   of    government?       Are   these   arguments   well 


62  UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  ISM. 

founded  and  convincing?  One  argument  is  drawn 
from  the  constitution  of  the  Jewish  church,  in  which 
there  was,  without  question,  a  gradation  in  rank.  The 
Levites  performed  various  inferior  services  in  the 
tabernacle  and  temple ;  the  priests  offered  sacrifices  on 
the  altar;  the  high  priest  presided  over  all,  and  en- 
tered into  the  holy  of  holies.  And  it  has  been  inferred 
that  the  same  form  of  government  has  been  continued 
in  the  Christian  church.  It  is  to  be  remembered  that 
this  arrangement  belonged  to  the  ceremonial  system, 
and  that  the  ceremonial  system  was  abolished  at  the 
death  of  Christ.  Therefore,  the  Old  Testament  argu- 
ment has  no  weight ;  our  appeal  must  be  to  the  Scrip- 
tures of  the  New  Testament. 

Another  argument  in  support  of  the  Episcopal  form 
of  church  government  is  founded  on  the  fact  that 
bishops,  presbyters,  and  deacons  are  all  mentioned  in 
the  New  Testament.  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  the 
words  ^'presbyter''  and  ^' elder''  have  the  same  mean- 
ing, and  describe  the  same  persons.  It  is  true  that 
there  were  deacons  in  the  early  church.  We  have  a 
minute  account  of  the  circumstances  which  gave  rise  to 
their  appointment.  From  this  account,  we  learn  that 
their  official  power  pertained  only  to  temporal  things. 
They  were  chosen  to  "serve  tables."  They  had  to  do 
with  the  temporalities  of  the  church,  especially  the 


THE  DIFFERENT  CHURCHES.  63 

collection  and  distribution  of  its  charities.  They  had 
no  spiritual  authority.  It  is,  therefore,  evident  that 
the  deacons  of  the  early  church  were  not  like  the  dea- 
cons under  the  Episcopal  form  of  government,  for  the 
latter  are  regarded  as  spiritual  officers.  Their  names 
are  the  same,  but  their  duties  are  entirely  different. 
The  assertion  that  the  deacon  is  a  spiritual  officer  is 
not  in  harmony  with  the  teaching  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment. It  is  also  true  that  there  were  those  in  the 
early  church  who  are  called  bishops,  or  overseers ;  for 
the  word  translated  ''bishop"  literally  means  "over- 
seer," and  sometimes  it  is  so  rendered.  It  is  assumed 
by  those  who  believe  Episcopacy  to  be  of  divine  appoint- 
ment that  bishops  are  a  different  order  from  jiresby- 
ters  or  elders.  But  when  we  look  into  the  New  Testa- 
ment, we  find  that  they  are  convertible  terms,  and  that 
they  are  applied  to  the  same  individuals.  When  Paul 
was  on  his  way  to  Jerusalem,  he  stopped  at  Miletus, 
"  and  from  Miletus  he  sent  to  Ephesus  and  called  for 
the  elders  of  the  church."  When  they  came  to  him, 
he  said,  among  other  things,  "Take  heed,  therefore, 
unto  yourselves,  and  to  the  flock  over  the  which  the 
Holy  Ghost  hath  made  you  overseers,"  or  bishops.  It 
is,  therefore,  evident  that  Paul  knew  of  no  distinction 
between  a  bishop  and  an  elder,  because  the  persons 
who  are  first  called  elders  are  afterwards  called  bish- 


64  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

ops.  Again,  Paul  says  to  Titus,  "  For  this  cause  left 
I  thee  in  Crete,  that  thou  shouldest  set  in  order  the 
things  that  are  wanting,  and  ordain  elders  in  every 
city."  Then,  describing  the  character  of  those  who 
were  to  be  ordained  elders,  he  adds;  "For  a  bishop 
must  be  blameless.'^  It  would  be  a  waste  of  time  to 
attempt  to  show  that,  in  this  connection,  the  bishop  and 
the  elder  are  the  same  person.  Because  the  terms  are 
convertible,  Paul  makes  no  mention  of  elders  in  his 
first  epistle  to  Timothy — he  speaks  only  of  bishops  and 
deacons.  For  the  same  reason,  he  takes  no  notice  of 
elders  in  his  epistle  to  the  Philippians — he  addresses 
himself  to  bishops  and  deacons.  This  omission  cannot 
be  explained  on  the  supposition  that  bishops  and  elders 
are  different  orders.  We  therefore  conclude  that  in 
the  New  Testament  bishop  and  elder  are  convertible 
terms,  and  describe  the  same  officer. 

Another  argument  in  favor  of  the  Episcopal  form  of 
government  is  founded  on  the  fact  that  there  was  a 
distinction  in  rank  among  the  office-bearers  of  the 
early  church.  It  is  at  once  granted  that,  at  the  organ- 
ization of  the  New  Testament  church,  there  were  some 
extraordinary  officers,  prominent  among  whom  were 
the  apostles,  ordained  to  be  witnesses  of  the  resurrec- 
tion of  Christ,  and  endowed  with  miraculous  powers. 
It  is  manifest  that  these  extraordinary  officers,  in  their 


THE  DIFFERENT  CHURCHES.  65 

peculiar  gifts  and  qualifications,  can  have  no  successors. 
The  only  permanent  spiritual  officers  in  the  church,  as 
we  will  show  afterwards,  are  elders,  who  are  also 
called  presbyters  and  bishops. 

It  is  not  denied  that  other  arguments  are  advanced 
in  support  of  the  Episcopacy,  but  the  ones  mentioned 
seem  to  be  the  strongest.  As  these  strongest  argu- 
ments have  been  shown  to  be  invalid,  we  are  forced  to 
the  conclusion  that  the  Episcopal  form  of  government 
is  not  the  one  which  Christ  has  appointed  for  the  New 
Testament  church. 

THE   CONGREGATIONAL   FORM   OF    CHURCH    GOVERN- 
MENT. 

The  peculiar  principles  of  Congregationalism,  or  In- 
dependency, are  the  following :  Every  particular  society 
of  professors,  agreeing  to  walk  together  in  the  faith 
a!ul  order  of  the  gospel,  is  a  complete  church  ;  the 
whole  power  of  government  is  vested  in  each  society ; 
all  censures  and  acts  of  government  are  administered 
in  a  single  congregation.  From  these  principles  you 
will  see  the  propriety  of  the  name  by  which  this  form 
of  government  is  distinguished.  It  is  called  Congre- 
gationalism or  Independency,  because  each  congregation 
is  a  church,  distinct  from,  and  independent  of  all  other 
churches  in  the  world,  possessing  all  power  in  itsejf, 


QQ  UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  ISM. 

and  accountable  only  to  Christ.  There  can  be  no  ap- 
peal from  the  decision  of  any  congregation,  for  each 
congregation  is  supreme  in  its  own  affairs.  Several 
congregations  may,  for  mutual  benefit,  unite  in  an  as- 
sociation, but  the  power  of  such  an  association  is  only 
advisory.  The  prominent  representatives  of  this  form 
of  government  are  the  Congregational  and  Baptist 
churches.  They  may  differ  in  other  things,  but  they 
agree  that  the  power  of  government  is  vested  in  the 
congregation. 

Let  us  examine  the  principles  of  Congregationalism 
and  see  whether  they  are  founded  on  Scripture.  One 
principle  is  that  every  society  of  professors  is  a  com- 
plete church.  To  establish  this  principle,  Indepen- 
dents labor  to  prove  that  the  churches  mentioned  in 
the  New  Testament  are  all  single  congregations.  It  is 
granted  that  this  is  sometimes  the  meaning  of  the  word, 
as  when  the  church  in  the  house  of  a  certain  individual 
is  spoken  of;  but  if  the  word  is  ever  used  to  compre- 
hend several  congregations,  we  will  be  authorized  to 
conclude  that  the  Congregational  plan  of  church  gov- 
ernment is  unscriptural.  Let  us  take  the  case  of  the 
church  in  Jerusalem,  because  its  history  is  more  fully 
detailed.  The  believers  of  this  city  are  repeatedly 
called  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  "the  church." 
Were  they  accustomed  to  assemble  in  one  congregation, 


THE  DIFFERENT  CHURCHES.  67 

or  were  they  so  numerous  that  they  must  liave  met, 
from  the  necessities  of  the  case,  in  different  congrega- 
tions? What  are  the  facts?  .  We  know  that  just  after 
the  ascension  of  our  Lord,  "  the  number  of  the  names 
together  were  about  one  hundred  and  twenty/^  On 
the  day  of  Pentecost,  "three  thousand  souls  were  added 
to  them."  After  the  day  of  Pentecost, 'Uhe  Lord 
added  to  the  church  daily  such  as  should  be  saved." 
Not  long  after,  under  one  sermon  of  the  apostle  Peter, 
five  thousand  men  believed.  The  subsequent  growth 
of  the  church  in  Jerusalem  is  indicated  Wy  such  pas- 
sages as  these:  "Believers  were  the  more  added  to  the 
Lord,  multitudes  both  of  men  and  women;"  "the 
number  of  disciples  multiplied  in  Jerusalem  greatly;" 
"  thou  seest,  brother,  how  many  thousands  of  Jews 
there  are  which  believe."  No  doubt,  many  of  these 
converts  lived  in  foreign  countries,  but  the  hoftie  of 
the  majority  of  them  must  have  been  in  Jerusalem. 
Could  all  these  thousands  meet  in  one  place  for  wor- 
ship? There  was  no  building  in  the  city  large  enough 
to  contain  such  a  congregation,  save  the  temple  courts; 
and  we  may  be  sure  that  the  leaders  of  the  Jews  would 
not  permit  the  courts  of  the  temple  to  be  used  as  a 
place  of  Christian  worship.  The  argument  is  strength- 
ened by  the  fact  that  many  official  persons  were  en- 
gaged at  the  same  time  in  administering  the  affairs  of 


68  UNITED   FBESBYTERIANISM. 

the  church  in  Jerusalem.  All  the  apostles  continued 
there  for  a  season,  and  they  were  so  much  occupied  in 
preaching  that  they  found  it  impossible  to  care  for  the 
poor  of  the  church.  With  the  apostles  were  asso- 
ciated prophets,  or  inspired  teachers,  and  elders.  How 
could  all  these  apostles,  prophets  and  elders  be  em- 
ployed, if  there  was  only  one  congregation  and  one 
place  of  worship  in  Jerusalem?  We  must  conclude 
that  there  were  several  congregations  in  the  city,  and 
that  these  congregations,  taken  together,  are  called  the 
church  in  Jerusalem.  Therefore,  a  single  congregation 
is  not  a  complete  church,  in  the  New  Testament  sense 
of  the  term,  and  this  principle  of  Congregationalism 
falls  to  the  ground. 

Congregational ists  also  maintain  that  all  acts  of 
government  are  performed  in  a  single  congregation, 
and  'that  from  the  decision  of  the  congregation  there 
is  no  appeal.  Is  this  principle  founded  on  Scripture? 
If  we  can  find  in  the  New  Testament  an  appeal  from 
a  lower  to  a  higher  assembly,  and  if  the  decision  of  the 
higher  was  binding  on  the  lower,  we  will  be  authorized 
to  conclude  that  a  single  congregation  does  not  possess 
complete  powers  of  government.  Is  there  such  a  case? 
It  appears  that  certain  Jewish  teachers  had  taught  the 
members  of  the  church  in  Antioch,  that  unless  they 
were  circumcised  after  the  manner  of  Moses,  they  could 


THE  DIFFERENT  CHURCHES.  69 

not  be  saved.  As  this  doctrine  was  contrary  to  the 
gospel,  Paul  and  Barnabas  opposed  it,  and  sharp  con- 
tention followed.  To  settle  the  controversy,  which 
was  of  general  as  well  as  of  local  interest,  it  was  re- 
solved that  "Paul  and  Barnabas  and  certain  other  of 
them  should  go  up  to  Jerusalem  unto  the  apostles  and 
elders  about  this  question."  When  this  delegation 
reached  Jerusalem,  "  the  apostles  and  elders  came  to- 
gether to  consider  of  this  matter."  After  much  dis- 
cussion, in  which  Peter  and  James  took  a  prominent 
part,  the  assembly  of  apostles  and  elders  came  to  a 
unanimous  decision,  which  was  sent  back  to  the  church 
in  Antioch  and  to  the  churches  of  Asia  Minor,  by  the 
hand  of  the  messengers  who  had  brought  up  the  ap- 
peal. It  is  to  be  observed  that  this  decision  was 
reached,  not  by  inspiration,  but  by  argument  and  dis- 
cussion. It  was  the  decision,  not  of  the  apostles  in 
their  official  capacity,  but  of  the  apostles  and  elders 
sitting  as  a  church  court.  It  is  also  to  be  observed 
that  this  assembly  did  not  give  advice ;  it  issued  a  de- 
cree, for  so  the  sentence  is  expressly  called.  The 
Christians  of  Antioch  were  commanded  to  observe  the 
"necessary  things''  which  were  contained  in  the  decree. 
Now,  if  the  members  of  a  single  congregation  in  the 
city  of  Antioch  had  power  in  all  matters  of  govern- 
ment, they  would  have  decided  the  question  concerning 


70  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

circumcision,  and  the  church  in  Jerusalem  would  have 
had  no  right  to  issue  a  decree  which  would  be  binding 
on  the  members  of  other  churches.  We  are,  therefore, 
brought  to  the  conclusion  that  this  principle  of  Con- 
gregationalism is  without  Scripture  authority.  In  the 
New  Testament  church  the  whole  power  of  government 
is  not  vested  in  a  single  congregation,  from  which  there 
is  no  appeal. 

If  these  conclusions  are  correct,  and  they  seem  to 
rest  on  a  stable  foundation,  it  follows  that  the  Congre- 
gational form  of  government  is  not  the  one  which 
Christ  has  appointed  for  the  New  Testament  church. 
What  then  is  the  form  of  church  government  which 
is  "  agreeable  to,  and  founded  on,"  the  word  of  God  ? 
If  it  is  not  Episcopacy,  or  Congregationalism,  it  must 
be  Presbyterian  ism  ;  for  these  are  the  only  forms  which 
any  one  supposes  to  be  authorized  by  the  Scriptures. 
The  Presbyterian  order,  and  the  arguments  in  its  sup- 
port, will  be  discussed  in  another  chapter. 

We  must  not  suffer  this  discussion  to  drive  out  of 
our  memory  the  former  discussions.  Important  as 
the  form  of  church  government  confessedly  is,  it  is  not 
as  important  as  the  matter  of  faith  in  Christ.  Every 
man's  first  duty  is  to  accept  Christ  as  his  Saviour;  his 
second  duty  is  to  confess  his  faith  before  men.  When 
he  is  persuaded  that  the  appointed  way  of  confessing 


THE  DIFFERENT   CHURCHES.  71 

his  faith  is  by  a  union  with  some  church,  he  may  con- 
fidently hope  that  the  Spirit  will  enlighten  his  mind 
and  direct  him  to  the  church  with  which  he  should 
unite.  Still,  he  cannot  expect  the  enlightenment  of 
the  Spirit  in  tliis  direction  or  in  any  other,  unless  he 
uses  the  proj^er  means.  We  have  been  trying  to  assist 
you  in  the  use  of  such  means.  If  the  conclusions  of 
the  present  chapter  are  correct,  the  man  who  believes 
in  Christ,  and  who  would  confess  him  before  men, 
should  unite  with  some  church,  holding  to  the  Presby- 
terian form  of  government,  for  this  is  the  form  of 
church  government  which  rests  on  the  sure  foundation 
of  the  word  of  God. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCHES. 

Neglect  not  the  gift  that  is  in  thee,  which  was  given  thee  by 
prophecy,  with  tlie  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the  presbytery. — 
1  Tim.  iv.  14. 

"VXT'E  have  seen  that  the  various  denominations  in 

'         the  visible   church,  so  far  as  their  form  of 

government  is  concerned,  arrange  themselves  in  three 

classes,  the   Episcopal,   the   Congregational,  and   the 

Presbyterian.    Setting  aside  Erastianism,  whicli  teaches 

that  the  church    is   only  one   form  of  the  state,  and 

Quakerism,  which   does  not  provide  for  the  external 

organization   of  the  church,  these  are  the  only  three 

radically  different  theories  on  the  subject  of  church 

polity.    It  has  been  shown  that  neither  Episcopacy  nor 

Congregationalism    is,  in  its  distinguishing  principles, 

in  harmony  with  the  teachings  of  the  New  Testament. 

We,  therefore,  infer  that  Presbyterian  ism  is  the  form 

of  church   government  which   is   "agreeable  to,  and 

founded  on,^'  the  word   of  God.     But  we  are  not  left 

to  inference  alone.     A  study  of  the  Scriptures  will 

lead  to  a  reasonable  certainty  on  this  disputed  point. 
(72) 


THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES.  73 

What  is  Presbyterian  ism  ?  What  are  the  principles 
which  distinguish  it  from  the  other  forms  of  church 
government?  Are  these  principles  scriptural?  In 
attempting  to  answer  these  questions  our  appeal  must 
be  to  the  word  of  God ;  for  if  God  has  appointed  any 
order  for  the  government  of  his  church,  we  can  learn 
what  that  appointed  order  is  only  from  what  God  has 
revealed.  We  might  express  it  as  an  opinion  that  the 
Presbyterian  polity  is  the  best  fitted  for  accomplishing 
the  ends  for  which  the  church  was  organized ;  that  it 
is  in  harmony  with  the  best  form  of  civil  government; 
that  Episcopacy,  like  an  absolute  monarchy,  does  not 
allow  sufficient  liberty  to  the  individual ;  that  Congre- 
gationalism, like  the  doctrine  of  State  sovereignty,  is 
fatal  to  necessary  unity  and  strength ;  and  that  Presby- 
terianism,  like  a  republican  form  of  government,  unites 
individual  freedom  with  consolidated  power.  We 
might  support  these  opinions  by  many  strong  argu- 
ments drawn  from  the  nature  of  things  and  from  hu- 
man experience.  Nevertheless,  our  final  appeal  must 
be  to  the  Scriptures,  for  from  them  alone  can  we  hope 
to  learn  the  will  of  God  concerning  his  church.  And 
our  appeal  must  be  to  the  Scriptures  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, for  the  questions  before  us  have  to  do  with  the 
government  of  the  New  Testament  church,  and  not 
with  that  of  the  Old.     We  will  describe  the  officers 


74  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

and  courts  of  Presbyterian  ism,  and  see  whether  they 
have  any  authority  in  the  New  Testament. 

THE     OFFICERS     UNDER    THE     PRESBYTERIAN     FORM 
OF   CHURCH   GOVERNMENT. 

1.  Under  the  Presbyterian  polity,  the  highest  ordi- 
nary officer  in  the  New  Testament  church  is  the  teaching 
elder  or  minister,  who  is  invested  with  all  the  powers 
that  are  permanent  in  the  church.  His  duties  are  "  to 
preach  the  word,  administer  the  ordinances,  govern  the 
church,  bless  the  people,  ordain  successors,  and  in  gen- 
eral watch  for  souls/^  That  such  an  officer  is  men- 
tioned and  sanctioned  in  the  New  Testament  will  not 
be  denied.  *^He  is  called  by  different  names  in  Scrip- 
ture, to  express  the  different  relations  and  duties  of  his 
office:  teacher,  in  reference  to  his  duty  to  instruct  the 
people;  bishop,  in  reference  to  his  oversight  of  the 
flock;  pastor,  in  reference  to  his  entire  work  of  feed- 
ing, as  well  as  governing,  the  flock;  ambassador,  in 
reference  to  his  relations  and  duties  as  one  commis- 
sioned to  declare  the  divine  will,  and  beseech  men  in 
Christ's  stead  to  be  reconciled  to  God;  and  minister,  in 
reference  to  his  relations  and  duties  as  a  servant  of 
Christ  and  his  church." 

This  offipe  is  of  divine  appointment.  Ministers  are 
not  only  ordained  of  God  in  the  sense  in  which  the 


THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES.  75 

civil  powers  are  ordained  of  God  ;  they  also  derive 
their  authority  from  Christ,  and  not  from  the  people. 
This  is  proven  by  the  ])lain  assertions  of  Scripture. 
We  are  told  that  Christ  ''gave  some,  apostles ;  and 
some,  prophets ;  and  some,  evangelists ;  and  some,  pas- 
tors and  teachers ;  for  the  perfecting  of  the  saints,  for 
the  work  of  the  ministry,  and  for  the  edifying  of  the 
body  of  Christ."  Christ,  and  not  the  people,  appointed 
these  teachers.  Paul  thus  exhorts  the  elders  of  Ephe- 
sus :  ''  Take  heed,  therefore,  unto  yourselves,  and  to 
the  flock,  over  the  which  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  made 
you  bishops."  The  same  apostle  says  to  Archippus, 
"Take  heed  to  the  ministry  which  thou  hast  received 
in  the  Lord."  Of  himself  he  says,  "Christ  hath  given 
to  us  the  ministry  of  reconciliation."  For  these  rea- 
sons ministers  are  called  the  servants,  the  messengers 
and  the  ambassadors  of  Christ.  They  speak  in  his 
name  and  by  his  authority.  They  are  sent  by  him  to 
the  church  to  reprove,  rebuke  and  exhort  with  all 
long-suffering  and  doctrine.  They  are  indeed  the 
servants  of  the  church,  for  they  labor  in  its  service  and 
are  subject  to  its  authority;  but  they  do  not  receive 
their  commission  and  power  from  the  church.  It  fol- 
lows from  all  this  that  the  teaching  elder  is  an  officer 
of  divine  appointment. 

The  qualifications  required  for  this  office  are  laid 


76  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

down  in  the  Scriptures.  Ministers  must  be  apt  to 
teach,  well  instructed,  able  rightly  to  divide  the  word 
of  truth,  sound  in  the  faith,  ruling  their  own  families 
well;  for  if  a  man  cannot  rule  his  own  house,  how  can 
he  take  care  of  the  church  of  God?  Their  duties  are 
also  plainly  described  in  the  Scriptures.  They  are  to 
preach  the  word  and  administer  the  sacraments.  They 
are  the  organs  of  the  church  in  executing  the  great 
commission  of  the  Master,  to  make  disciples  of  all 
men,  teaching  them,  and  baptizing  them  in  the  name 
of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
They  are  rulers  in  the  house  of  God.  To  them  are 
given  the  keys  of  the  kingdom,  and  the  power  to  open 
and  shut  the  door  of  the  church.  They  are  clothed 
with  these  powers  of  preaching,  administering  the 
sacraments,  ruling  and  exercising  discipline,  in  virtue 
of  the  office  which  Christ  has  conferred  upon  them. 
If  they  are  sent  where  no  church  exists,  they  exercise 
these  powers  in  gathering  and  founding  churches ;  if 
they  labor  in  churches  already  established,  they  exer- 
cise these  powers  in  concert  with  other  laborers.  AY  hen 
the  minister  is  alone  he  must,  of  necessity,  perform  his 
duties  alone ;  but  when  churches  are  gathered  and  or- 
ganized, he  is  associated  with  other  ministers  and  elders, 
and  he  can  no  longer  act  alone  in  matters  of  govern- 
ment and  discipline.     This  is  illustrated  in  the  early 


THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES,  77 

history  of  the  Christian  church.  The  apostles,  and 
those  ordained  by  them,  at  first  acted  singly  in  found- 
ing churches;  but  afterwards  always  in  connection  with 
others. 

The  office  of  the  teaching  elder  is  a  permanent  one. 
This  is  plain  from  sev^eral  reasons.  The  gifts  and 
qualifications  for  this  office  are  permanent.  In  this 
respect  the  teaching  elder  differs  from  the  extraordi- 
nary officers  in  the  early  church.  The  apostles  were 
qualified  for  their  office  by  being  competent  witnesses 
of  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  and  by  the  endowment 
of  miraculous  powers.  As  these  apostolic  gifts  have 
passed  away,  there  can  now  be  no  apostolic  office.  The 
prophets  of  the  New  Testament  were  the  recipients  of 
occasional  inspiration.  As  the  gift  of  inspiration  has 
ceased,  the  office  of  prophet  has  ceased;  but  as  the  gifts 
of  teaching  and  ruling  are  permanent,  we  conclude  that 
the  office  of  teacher  and  ruler  is  permanent.  The  need 
of  this  office  is  permanent.  Ministers  are  commis- 
sioned to  make  disciples  of  all  nations,  to  preach  the 
gospel  and  to  edify  saints;  and  while  there  are  souls 
to  be  converted,  a  gospel  to  be  preached,  and  saints  to 
be  built  up  in  their  most  holy  faith,  teaching  elders 
will  be  needed.  Therefore  the  apostles  ordained  elders 
in  every  city,  gave  directions  for  their  ordination  in  all 
subsequent  ages,  and  prescribed  their  qualifications  and 


78  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

the  mode  of  their  appointment.  In  point  of  fact,  teach- 
ing elders  have  continued  from  the  beginning  to  the 
present  day,  and  we  have  good  reason  to  believe  that 
they  will  continue  to  occupy  their  place  in  the  church 
till  the  end  of  the  dispensation. 

The  teaching  elder  is  the  highest  permanent  officer 
in  the  church.  It  is  admitted  that  there  were  officers 
of  a  higher  grade  in  the  apostolic  age,  viz.,  apostles 
and  prophets ;  but  the  peculiar  gifts  by  which  they 
were  qualified  for  their  offices  are  no  longer  conferred 
upon  men,  and  therefore  they  can  have  no  successors. 
There  are  no  higher  permanent  functions  than  those 
attributed  to  ministers.  It  is  theirs  to  teach  and  to 
rule,  and  what  higher  office  can  there  be? 

This  much,  then,  is  plain.  The  teaching  elder  is  an 
officer  of  divine  appointment.  His  names,  qualifica- 
tions, duties,  and  the  permanence  and  rank  of  his 
office  are  matters  of  revelation.  He  is  the  highest 
permanent  officer  in  the  New  Testament  church. 

2.  Under  the  Presbyterian  polity,  the  second  in  rank 
of  the  ordinary  officers  of  the  church  is  the  ruling  elder, 
"  His  official  power  is  that  of  government  alone,  and 
in  this  he  is  the  equal  of  the  teaching  elder.  He  is  to 
rule  well;  and  while  he  may  not  officially  labor  in 
word  and  doctrine,  he  is  to  be  a  help  in  teaching,  as  in 
ruling,  instructing  the  ignorant;  encouraging  the  weak, 


THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES.  79 

reproving  and  reclaiming  the  erring,  and  visiting  and 
comforting  the  sick." 

These  are  the  duties  of  the  ruling  elder,  as  laid  down 
in  the  manuals  of  Presbyterianisra.  Is  such  an  officer 
appointed  in  the  New  Testament?  Paul  says  to  Tim- 
othy: "Let  the  elders  that  rule  well  be  counted  worthy 
of  double  honor,  especially  them  who  labor  in  word 
and  doctrine."  From  this  passage  it  is  Evident  that 
Paul  recognized  two  classes  of  elders,  those  whose  duty 
it  was  to  rule,  and  those  whose  duty  it  was  to  rule  and 
teach.  The  same  apostle,  when  enumerating  the  orders 
of  church  officers,  distinctly  calls  some  "  teachers,"  and 
others  "  helps  "  and  "  governments."  The  same  apostle, 
in  another  epistle,  exhorts  those  who  teach  to  wait  on 
their  teaching,  and  those  who  rule  to  rule  with  dili- 
gence. These  passages  certainly  prove  that  there  was, 
in  the  early  church,  an  officer  whose  official  power,  in 
connection  with  the  teaching  elder,  was  that  of  gov- 
ernment. And  this  is  the  officer  who,  in  the  Presby- 
terian polity,  is  called  the  ruling  elder. 

We  reach  the  same  conclusion  from  inspired  revela- 
tions respecting  the  rights  and  powers  of  the  people. 
The  church  is  a  theocracy.  Jesus  Christ  is  its  head. 
His  word  is  its  written  constitution.  All  power  is  de- 
rived from  him.  But  the  church  is  a  society,  having 
its  officers,  laws  and  government.    Its  power,  however, 


80  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

is  purely  administrative.  Everything  it  does  is  to  be 
done  in  the  name  of  Christ,  and  in  accordance  with  his 
directions.  The  church  has,  with  this  limitation,  the 
power  to  set  forth  in  a  creed  a  declaration  of  the  truths 
which  it  believes  to  be  taught  in  the  word  of  God,  and 
which  are  to  be  acknowledged  by  all  who  enter  its 
communion.  It  has  power  to  adopt  rules  for  the  or- 
dering of  public  worship  and  for  its  own  government. 
It  has  power  to  select  and  ordain  teachers,  to  assign 
them  to  their  fields  of  labor,  and  to  depose  them  if  un- 
faithful. It  has  power  to  receive  the  worthy  into  its 
fellowship,  and  to  exclude  the  unworthy.  Now,  the 
question  is,  where  does  this  power  rest?  Does  it  belong 
to  the  clergy  exclusively?  or  does  it  belong  to  the  whole 
church,  to  the  people  as  well  as  to  the  ministry?  Mani- 
festly to  the  whole  church.  All  church  power  arises 
from  the  indwelling  of  the  Spirit.  Therefore  those  in 
whom  the  Spirit  dwells  are  the  seat  of  church  power. 
But  the  Spirit  dwells  in  the  whole  church,  and  not  in 
the  clergy  alone.  Hence  the  members  of  the  church 
Lave  a  right  to  a  part  in  its  government.  This  right 
is  recognized  and  sanctioned  by  the  apostles  in  almost 
every  conceivable  way.  When  they  thought  it  neces- 
sary to  complete  the  college  of  the  apostles,  they  con- 
sulted the  people  in  the  matter.  When  deacons  were 
appointed,  the  people  chose  the  seven  men  who  were 


THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES.  81 

to  be  invested  with  the  office.  The  assembly,  which 
issued  the  authoritative  decree  concerning  the  contin- 
ued obligation  of  the  law  of  Moses,  was  composed  of 
"  brethren,"  as  well  as  ^'  apostles  and  elders."  Now,, 
according  to  the  Presbyterian  system,  ruling  elders  are 
the  representatives  of  the  people.  They  are  chosen  by 
the  people  to  act  in  their  name  in  the  government  of 
tlie  ciiurch.  And  what  are  the  powers  of  ruling  elders 
in  Presbyterianism  ?  They  have  a  voice  with  the 
teaching  elders  in  framing  and  adopting  the  creed  of 
the  church,  in  forming  a  directory  for  worship  and 
enjoining  its  use,  in  enacting  rules  for  its  government, 
and  in  opening  and  shutting  the  door  of  the  church  in 
the  admission  of  members  and  the  exercise  of  disci- 
pline. Thus  the  Presbyterian  polity,  in  the  office  of 
the  ruling  elder,  fulfils  the  Scripture  by  giving  the 
people  a  part  in  the  government  of  the  church. 

The  New  Testament  does  not  speak  so  plainly  with 
reference  to  the  duties  of  the  ruling  elder,  as  it  does 
with  reference  to  those  of  the  teaching  elder.  The 
reason  of  this  is  not  difficult  to  discover.  The  former 
office  was  no  new  thing  in  the  church.  There  were 
elders  in  the  Jewish  church.  There  was,  in  every  syna- 
gogue, a  bench  of  elders  who  ruled  over  its  affiiirs.  The 
early  Christians  were  Jews,  and  they  were  familiar 
with  the  government  of  the  synagogue.    As  the  ruling 


82  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

elder  was  so  much  like  the  elder  in  the  synagogue,  few 
instructions  would  be  needed  as  to  the  duties  of  this 
office.  It  was  otherwise  with  the  teaching  elder.  His* 
office,  in  some  of  its  relations  and  duties,  was  a  new 
thing,  and  therefore  its  duties  are  more  minutely  de- 
scribed. Still,  as  we  have  seen,  the  ruling  elder  is 
recognized  in  the  New  Testament  as  a  permanent  offi- 
cer in  the  church. 

3.  Uhder  the  Presbyterian  polity,  the  lowest  of  the 
ordinary  officers  of  the  church  is  the  deacon.  "His 
official  power  pertains  to  temporal  things.  He  has  no 
spiritual  authority.  The  duties  of  his  office  pertain  to 
the  temporalities  of  the  church,  especially  the  collec- 
tion and  distribution  of  its  charities."  That  there  was 
such  an  officer  in  the  early  church,  and  that  these  were 
the  duties  of  his  office,  is  plain  from  Acts  vi.  1-6, 
where  we  have  an  account  of  the  election  and  ordina- 
tion of  the  first  deacons,  and  of  the  circumstances 
which  gave  rise  to  their  appointment.  Deacons  are 
not  essential  to  the  organization  of  the  church,  for  the 
church  existed  for  a  time  before  deacons  were  ordained. 
In  church  government,  the  lower  office  is  included  in 
the  higher;  and  if  the  teaching  and  ruling  elders  have 
the  time  and  ability  to  care  for  the  poor,  this  is  a  legiti- 
mate part  of  their  work,  and  there  is  no  occasion  for 
the  appointment  of  deacons.     Nevertheless,  there  was 


THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES.  83 

such  an  officer  in  the  early  church,  and  he  is  given  a 
place  in  the  Presbyterian  form  of  government. 

These  are  the  three  orders  of  permanent  officers  in 
Presbyterianism.  As  we  have  seen  that  they,  and  no 
others,  are  authorized  in  the  Scriptures  of  the  New 
Testament,  we  conclude  that  the  Presbyterian  form 
of  church  government,  so  far  as  its  officers  are  con- 
cerned, is  "agreeable  to,  and  founded  on,''  the  word 
of  God. 

THE    COURTS    UNDER    THE    PRESBYTERIAN    FORM    OF 
GOVERNMENT. 

The  Presbyterian  doctrine  on  this  subject  is,  that 
the  church  is  one  in  the  sense  that  a  smaller  part  is 
subject  to  a  larger,  and  a  larger  to  the  whole.  Hence, 
in  its  gradation  of  courts,  Presbyterianism  provides, 
on  the  one  hand,  for  the  right  of  appeal,  and  on  the 
other  hand,  for  the  right  of  review  and  control.  Is 
this  doctrine  scriptural  ?  Let  us  notice  the  courts  of 
Presbyterianism,  and  see  whether  they  are  sanctioned 
in  the  New  Testament. 

1.  The  lowest  court  of  the  church  is  the  Session^ 
which  consists  of  the  elders  in  a  particular  congrega- 
tion. Usually  there  is  one,  and  but  one,  teaching 
elder,  who  is  elected  by  the  people,  and  ordained  and 
installed  by  the  Presbytery.     By  virtue  of  his  office, 


84  UNITED  PBESBYTERIANISM. 

he  is  the  moderator  of  the  Session.  Associated  with 
him  are  several  ruling  elders.  "The  Session  is  charged 
with  the  spiritual  oversight  and  government  of  the 
congregation.  It  belongs  to  it  to  decide  upon  the 
qualifications  of  applicants  for  church  membership, 
to  inquire  into  the  knowledge,  character  and  conduct 
of  members,  to  arraign  offenders,  to  admonish,  rebuke 
or  suspend  them,  as  the  proper  exercise  of  discipline 
may  require;  to  dismiss  members  in  good  standing 
with  proper  certificates  to  other  congregations,  and  to 
do  whatever  else  pertains  to  their  office  in  maintain- 
ing the  good  order  and  promoting  the  edification  of  the 
church.'' 

The  divine  authority  of  this  court  is  evident  from 
the  history  of  the  organization  of  the  church,  as  re- 
corded in  the  Acts  and  Epistles  of  the  apostles.  That 
history  shows  that  the  first  Christian  congregations 
were  placed  under  the  rule  of  elders,  after  the  model 
of  the  synagogue.  We  are  told  that  Paul  and  Barna- 
bas "  ordained  elders  in  every  church."  Titus  was 
left  in  Crete  to  "  ordain  elders  in  every  city."  James 
says  :  "  Is  any  among  you  sick  ?  Let  him  call  for  the 
elders  of  the  church."  We  read  of  the  ^'elders"  of 
the  church  in  Jerusalem,  in  Antioch,  in  Ephesus,  and 
in  various  other  cities.  It  is  evident  from  these  pas- 
sages in  their  connection   that  there  were  elders,  both 


THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES.  85 

teaching  and  ruling,  who  had  the  spiritual  oversight 
of  the  congregation  with  which  they  were  connected. 
It  is  true,  comparatively  little  is  said  in  the  New 
Testament  of  the  constitution  and  duties  of  this  court 
of  the  church.  This  is  explained  on  the  same  ground 
that  little  is  said  of  the  ruling  elder.  The  early  Chris- 
tians were  familiar  with  the  bench  of  elders  in  the 
synagogue,  and  they  needed  little  instruction  on  this 
point.  But  enough  has  been  said  by  the  inspired 
writers  to  convince  the  careful  reader  that  the  New 
Testament  church  was  organized  after  the  model  of  the 
synagogue,  and  that  the  affairs  of  each  congregation 
were  regulated  by  a  Session,  composed  of  teaching  and 
ruling  elders. 

2.  The  next  court  of  the  church  is  the  Presbytery, 
which  consists  of  the  ministers  and  one  ruling  elder 
from  each  pastoral  charge  in  a  defined  district.  It 
belongs  to  the  Presbytery  "  to  hear  and  issue  com- 
plaints and  appeals  from  church  Sessions,  and  refer- 
ences for  advice  or  adjudication,  to  admit  and  have  the 
care  of  students  of  theology,  to  examine  and  license 
candidates  for  the  holy  ministry,  to  ordain,  install,  re- 
move and  try  ministers  of  the  gospel,  to  examine  and 
approve  or  censure  the  records  of  church  Sessions,  to 
visit  particular  churches  for  the  purpose  of  inquiring 
into  their  state  and  redressing  evils  which   may  have 


SQ  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

ariseu  in  them ;  to  organize,  unite  or  divide  congrega- 
tions, and  in  general  to  order  whatever  pertains  to  the 
spiritual  welfare  and  prosperity  of  the  churches  under 
its  care." 

The  authority  of  this  court,  like  that  of  the  Session, 
is  in  the  example  of  the  primitive  church.  The  facts 
recorded  in  respect  to  the  churches  of  Jerusalem,  An- 
tioch,  Ephesus,  and  Corinth,  prove  them  to  have  been, 
in  every  essential  particular,  under  an  organization 
answering  to  a  Presbytery.  It  is  evident  that  there 
were  several  congregations  in  each  of  these  cities  ;  that 
they  were  intimately  associated  in  government,  and 
that  their  bond  of  union  was  an  assembly  of  elders, 
whose  decrees  were  binding.  Such  an  assembly  is  a 
Presbytery. 

3.  The  next  higher  court  of  the  church  is  the  Synod, 
which  consists  of  the  ministers  and  duly  commissioned 
elders  of  two  or  more  Presbyteries.  "  It  belongs  to 
the  Synod  to  hear  and  issue  complaints,  appeals  and 
references  regularly  brought  up  from  the  Presbyteries, 
to  examine  and  approve  or  censure  the  records  of 
Presbyteries,  to  organize,  unite  or  divide  Presbyteries, 
to  propose  to  the  General  Assembly  such  measures  as 
may  be  deemed  necessary  for  the  welfare  of  the  whole 
church,  and  in  general  to  take  such  order  with  respect 
to  Presbyteries,  Sessions  and  the  people  under  its  care, 


THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES.  87 

as  may,  in  conformity  with  the  word  of  God  and 
the  established  rules  of  the  church,  tend  to  promote 
the  edification,  purity,  peace  and  prosperity  of  the 
church." 

As  the  Synod  is  in  fact  but  a  larger  Presbytery,  its 
divine  authority  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  Presbytery. 
The  assembly  of  apostles  and  elders,  noticed  at  con- 
siderable length  in  the  last  chapter,  which  decided  the 
question  concerning  circumcision,  referred  to  it  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Antioch,  was  in  all  essential  features  a 
Synod. 

4.  The  highest  court  of  the  church  is  the  General 
Assembly^  which  may  be  an  aggregate  or  a  delegate 
body,  as  the  circumstances  of  the  churcli  may  require 
or  permit.  If  it  is  an  aggregate  body,  it  consists  of 
the  ministers  and  duly  commissioned  elders  of  all  the 
Presbyteries  of  the  church.  If  it  is  a  delegate  body,  it 
consists  of  an  equal  delegation  of  teaching  and  ruling 
elders  from  each  Presbytery.  It  has  "  power  to  receive 
and  decide  all  appeals,  references  and  complaints  reg- 
ularly brought  before  it,  to  review,  approve  or  censure 
the  records  of  Synods,  to  resolve  questions  of  doctrine 
or  discipline  reasonably  and  seriously  proposed,  to  warn 
and  testify  against  any  error  in  doctrine  or  immorality 
in  practice,  to  organize,  unite  or  divide  Synods,  to 
establish  and  regulate  theological  seminaries  so  as  to 


88  UNITED  BBESBYTERIANISM. 

secure  uniformity  in  the  course  and  term  of  study,  to 
conduct  the  missionary  operations  of  the  church,  to 
correspond  with  other  branches  of  the  church,  and  in 
general  to  adopt  measures  to  promote  truth  and  holi- 
ness throughout  its  bounds,  and  be  a  bond  of  union, 
peace,  concord  and  mutual  confidence." 

The  General  Assembly  is  the  great  Presbytery  in 
which  the  entire  church  is  represented,  and  therefore 
its  divine  authority  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  Pres- 
bytery. 

These  are  the  courts  of  Presbyterianisra.  They 
secure  to  all  within  its  pale  the  right  to  a  part  in  its 
government  and  the  privilege  of  appeal ;  and  they 
make  the  church  one  in  the  sense  that  a  smaller  part 
is  subject  to  a  larger,  and  a  larger  to  the  whole.  As 
we  have  seen  that  these  courts  are  authorized  in  the 
Scriptures  of  the  New  Testament,  we  conclude  that  the 
Presbyterian  form  of  government,  so  far  as  its  courts 
are  concerned,  is  "agreeable  to,  and  founded  on,"  the 
word  of  God. 

We  must  not  forget  the  question,  which  underlies 
our  discussion.  It  is  this :  If  union  with  the  church 
is  the  appointed  way  of  confessing  our  faith  in  Christ 
before  men,  with  what  denomination  of  the  visible 
church  should  we  unite?  If  the  conclusions  of  this 
chapter  are  correct,  we  should  identify  ourselves  with 


THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES.  89 

some  branch  of  the  church  holding  to  the  Presbyterian 
form  of  government,  for  this  is  the  form  authorized  in 
the  New  Testament.  While  the  system  of  government 
is  not  a  matter  of  the  first  importance,  it  deserves  our 
serious  thought.  Everything  which  God  reveals  is 
important.  We  must  decide  as  to  the  truth  on  this 
subject,  and  be  responsible  for  our  decision.  But  lest 
you  should  think  this  matter  of  greater  importance 
than  it  is,  we  point  once  more  to  the  chief  duty :  "  Be- 
lieve on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ; "  then  pray  for  the 
enlightenment  of  the  Spirit  that  you  may  be  guided  to 
the  fellowship  of  those  who,  in  church  government  and 
everything  else,  live  nearest  the  Scripture  standard. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  CREED   OF   THE   PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCHES. 

To  the  law  and  to  the  testimony  :  if  they  speak  not  according  to 
this  word,  it  is  because  there  is  no  light  in  thena. — Isaiah  viii.  20. 

SEVERAL,  denominations  of  the  visible  church 
hold  to  the  Presbyterian  form  of  government. 
The  prominent  representatives  of  this  polity  in 
our  land  are  the  United  Presbyterian  Church,  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  the  Reformed  Presbyterian 
Churches,  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church,  the 
Lutheran  Churches,  and  the  Reformed  (Dutch)  Church. 
These  churches  differ  somewhat  in  the  details  of  their 
administration,  but  they  agree  that  Presbyterianism,  or 
government  by  elders,  is  best  fitted  to  accomplish  the 
ends  for  which  the  church  was  organized,  and  that  it 
is  in  harmony  with  the  letter  and  spirit  of  the  New 
Testament.  They  also  agree  in  the  fundamental  doc- 
trines of  Christianity,  though  in  some  points  they  do 
not  "  see  eye  to  eye."  The  doctrines  in  which  they 
agree,  and  in  which  they  disagree,  are  plainly  set  forth 

in  their  respective  creeds.     We  have  already  reached 
(90) 


CREED   OF  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES.       91 

the  conclusion,  that  if  we  would  confess  our  faith  in 
Christ  before  men  in  the  appointed  way,  we  must  unite 
with  some  church  holding  to  the  Presbyterian  form  of 
government.  The  question  now  before  us.  is  this: 
With  what  denomination  of  the  Presbyterian  family 
should  we  identify  ourselves  ?  In  order  to  answer 
this  question  intelligently,  we  must  learn,  from  an 
appeal  to  their  creeds,  wherein  they  agree  and  wherein 
they  differ,  and  we  must  decide  whose  creed  is  the  best 
expression  of  divine  truth.  To  assist  in  this  direction, 
we  will  in  the  present  chapter  consider  church  creeds 
in  general,  and  the  particular  creed  of  the  Presbyterian 
churches. 

A  CHURCH   CREED. 

What  is  a  church  creed?  It  is  a  summary  of  Chris- 
tian doctrines  or  articles  of  faith.  Is  there  any  neces- 
sity for  such  a  summary?  Do  we  not  have  a  sufficient 
creed  in  the  Holy  Scriptures?  All  evangelical  Chris- 
tians believe  the  Bible  to  be  the  infallible  and  only 
rule  of  faith  and  practice,  to  which  nothing  is  to  be 
added  and  from  which  nothing  is  to  be  taken.  AVhy, 
then,  is  any  other  creed  needed  ?  Simply  because  all 
men  do  not  understand  the  Avord  of  God  in  the  same 
way.  Some  maintain  that  it  teaches  one  doctrine; 
others,  that  it  teaches  another.  This  want  of  harmony 
in  understanding  the  Scriptures  is  an  evidence  of  the 


92  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

power  of  sin.  Of  course,  God's  word  teaches  only  one 
system  of  truth ;  and  if  all  Christians  possessed  the  full 
illumination  of  the  Spirit,  they  would  be  of  one  heart 
and  mind.  But,  unfortunately,  through  imperfect  en- 
lightenment, a  faulty  education  and  strong  prejudices, 
they  differ  in  their  understanding  of  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures. As  each  denomination  of  the  church  is  a  human 
society,  there  must  be  an  agreement  among  its  mem- 
bers; for  how  "can  two  walk  together  except  they  be 
agreed?"  Hence  the  necessity  of  a  creed,  which  ex- 
presses in  plain  language  what  the  church  believes  to 
be  the  teachings  of  the  word  of  God,  and  which  is  to 
be  assented  to  by  those  who  enter  its  communion. 
Nearly  all  denominations  have  framed  and  adopted 
such  a  creed,  and  they  regard  it  as  essential  to  their 
harmony  and  unity. 

There  has  been  a  continuous  and  marked  growth  in 
the  creed  of  the  church.  The  creed  of  the  primitive 
church  was  brief  and  simple.  It  would  seem  that  men 
were  received  into  the  visible  society  of  believers  on 
their  public  confession  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  the 
Son  of  God  and  the  promised  Messiah.  This  confes- 
sion involved  the  great  difference  between  the  Jewish 
and  the  Christian  churches.  The  members  of  both 
believed  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  Testament  to  be  the 
word  of  God;  but  the  members  of  the  former  regarded 


CREED   OF  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES.        93 

Jesus  as  an  impostor,  wliile  the  members  of  the  latter 
acknowledged  him  as  the  Saviour  promised  to  the 
fathers.  Therefore  the  only  article  of  faith  to  which 
they  were  required  to  assent,  who  would  become  mem- 
bers of  the  primitive  church,  is  expressed  in  these 
words:  "We  believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son 
of  the  living  God/'  But  errors  rapidly  multiplied ; 
and  to  meet  these  errors,  the  church  found  it  necessary 
to  enlarge  its  creed.  One  article  after  another  was 
added  to  it,  until,  by  the  middle  of  the  second  century 
of  the  Christian  era,  it  formed  that  brief  summary 
of  Christian  doctrine  which  is  commonly  called  the 
Apostles'  Creed.  It  received  this  name  from  the  tra- 
dition that  it  was  made  by  the  apostles  themselves, 
who,  at  a  meeting  in  Jerusalem,  contributed  each  an 
article  toward  an  authentic,  compendious  and  un- 
changeable rule  of  faith;  but  this  tradition  rests  on  no 
historical  evidence.  This  creed,  interesting  from  its 
antiquity  and  from  its  general  adoption  by  the  Greek, 
Roman  and  Protestant  churches,  reads  as  follows: 
'*  I  believe  in  God  the  Father  Almighty,  Maker  of 
heaven  and  earth ;  and  in  Jesus  Christ  his  only  Son 
our  Lord;  who  was  conceived  by  the  Holy  Ghoht,  born 
of  the  Virgin  Mary,  suffered  under  Pontius  Pilate,  was 
crucified,  dead  and  buried;  he  descended  into  liell,  the 
third  day  he  rose   from   the  dead;    he  ascended   into 


94  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

heaven,  and   sitteth  at   the  right   hand  of  God   the 
Father  Almighty;  from  thence  he  shall  come  to  judge 
the  quick  and  the  dead ;  I  believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost 
the  holy  catholic  church ;   the  communion  of  saints 
the  forgiveness  of  sins ;  the  resurrection  of  the  body 
and  the  life  everlasting.     Amen/' 

In  the  following  centuries  the  creed  of  the  church 
continued  to  enlarge.  As  other  truths  were  more  clearly 
apprehended,  the  church  thought  it  necessary  to  for- 
mulate them  in  its  creed ;  when  new  errors  were  taught, 
the  church  testified  against  them  in  its  creed.  There- 
fore the  creed  of  the  church  has  ever  been  changing, 
and  changing  for  the  most  part  in  the  way  of  enlarge- 
ment; though  when  an  error  has  been  forgotten,  the 
testimony  against  it  has  sometimes  been  dropped.  The 
creed  of  the  church  of  the  present  day  is  a  complete 
system  of  doctrine,  as  the  church  believes  it  to  be  re- 
vealed in  the  word  of  God,  and  a  testimony  against  all 
prevalent  errors.  It  is  not  infallible,  for  it  is  the  work 
of  men.  It  is  to  be  tested  by  its  agreement  with  the 
word  of  God.  Therefore  the  creeds  of  the  churches 
are  called  their  "subordinate  standards,"  the  supreme 
standard  being  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments.  It  may  be  confidently  expected  that  these 
subordinate  standards  will,  in  the  future,  change  for 
the  better,  as  Christians  are  more  enlightened  by  the 


CREED   OF  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES.       95 

Spirit  aud  brought  to  a  better  understanding  of  ihe 
divine  will. 

The  Presbyterian  churches  have  their  creeds.  These 
creeds,  while  agreeing  in  substance  of  doctrine,  differ 
somewhat  in  the  different  branches  of  the  Presbyterian 
family.  The  most  of  the  English-speaking  Presbyte- 
rian churches  have  the  Westminster  Confession  of 
Faith,  and  the  Catechisms,  Larger  and  Shorter ;  the 
Lutheran  churches  have  the  Augsburg  Confession;  the 
Reformed  Dutch  Church  has  the  Heidelberg  Catechism 
and  the  Belgic  Confession ;  and  the  Presbyterian 
churches  of  every  nationality  have  their  own  subordi- 
nate standards.  To  the  first  of  these  we  now  invite 
attention. 

THE   WESTMINSTER    CONFESSION    OF   FAITH. 

1.  The  history  of  the  preparation  of  the  Westminster 
Confession  of  Faith  is  of  great  interest.  The  attempt 
of  Charles  I.  to  force  upon  the  Scottish  Church  the 
liturgy  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  his  oppression 
of  the  dissenting  bodies,  caused  great  dissatisfaction 
both  in  England  and  Scotland.  This  dissatisfaction 
led  Parliament  to  propose  to  the  king  that  he  should 
give  his  assent  to  a  bill  for  calling  an  assembly  of 
learned  and  godly  divines  and  others^  for  the  settle- 
ment of  the  government  and  liturgy  of  the  church. 


96  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

The  king  refused  to  give  his  assent,  but  Parliament 
afterwards  passed  an  ordinance  calling  such  an  as- 
sembly. The  Parliament  taking  this  action  is  the  one 
famous  in  history  as  the  long  Parliament.  The  as- 
sembly thus  called  together  is  known  as  the  West- 
minster Assembly  of  Divines,  because  it  assembled  at 
Westminster,  England.  It  met  July  1,  1643,  and  re- 
mained in  session  till  February  22,  1649,  or  almost  six 
years.  During  this  time  it  held  1,163  sittings.  Par- 
liament summoned  one  hundred  and  fifty -one  persons, 
viz.,  one  hundred  and  twenty-one  clergymen,  ten  lords 
and  twenty  commoners,  to  meet  and  constitute  the 
Assembly.  About  twenty-five  never  appeared,  and,  to 
supply  the  deficiency,  about  twenty  additional  mem- 
bers were  summoned.  On  September  15,  1643,  four 
Scotch  ministers  and  two  commoners  were,  by  warrant 
of  Parliament,  admitted  to  seats  in  the  Assembly,  but 
without  the  privilege  of  voting,  as  commissioners  from 
the  Church  of  Scotland.  At  the  opening  of  the  As- 
sembly sixty-nine  of  the  members  were  in  attendance; 
at  different  times  ninety-six  were  present,  though  the 
usual  attendance  ranged  from  sixty  to  eighty.  The 
must  of  the  members  were  Presbyterians ;  ten  or 
twelve  were  Independents  or  Congregationalists ;  five 
or  six  styled  themselves  Erastians.  Among  those  \vho 
were  originally  summoned  there  were  about  twenty- 


CREED   OF  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES.        97 

five  Episcopalians,  but  the  most  of  them  declined  at- 
tending, though  some  took  part  in  the  earlier  meetings 
of  the  Assembly. 

The  Assembly  first  turned  its  attention  to  the  pre- 
paration of  a  "  Directory  of  Government,  Worship  and 
Discipline."  This  was  not  finished  till  near  the  close 
of  1644,  and  it  was  ratified  by  Parliament  January  3, 
1645.  The  Assembly  then  engaged  in  preparing  a 
Confession  of  Faith,  which  was  finished  and  reported 
to  Parliament  April  29,  1647.  To  make  the  system 
of  doctrine,  contained  in  the  Confession  of  Faith,  more 
available  for  the  instruction  of  the  young  and  ignorant, 
two  catechisms  were  prepared,  one  much  larger  than 
the  other.  The  Shorter  Catechism  was  finished  and 
reported  to  Parliament,  November  5,  1647,  and  the 
Larger,  April  14,  1648.  The  Confession  of  Faith  and 
catechisms  were  promptly  ratified  by  the  Scotch  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  and  they  are  now  the  standards  of  the 
Scotch,  English  and  Irish  Presbyterian  churches.  They 
have  been  adopted,  with  slight  alterations  concerning  the 
power  of  the  civil  magistrate  in  religious  matters,  by  the 
most  of  the  Presbyterian  bodies  in  the  United  States. 

This  is  the  history  of  the  Westminster  Confession 
of  Faith,  which  is  the  common  creed  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian churches  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  and  of  all 
other   Presbyterian   churches   which   have  descended 


98  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

from  them.  The  men  who  framed  it  were  the  flower 
of  the  church  of  that  age ;  it  was  prepared  after  pro- 
tracted and  able  discussions ;  it  has  borne  the  test  of 
use  for  almost  tw'o  hundred  and  fifty  years;  and  it  is 
yet  dear  to  many  denominations  of  tlie  visible  churcli 
as  their  symbol  of  faith. 

2.  A  brief  analysis  of  the  Westminster  Confession 
of  Faith  is  all  that  can  be  undertaken  in  this  connec- 
tion. It  consists  of  thirty-three  chapters,  which,  in 
their  order,  form  a  system  of  theology. 

Chapter  I,,  *'0f  the  Holy  Scriptur^,''  teaches  tliat 
the  light  of  nature,  though  sufficient  to  leave  men 
without  excuse,  is  not  sufficient  to  enable  any  to  attain 
salvation.  Hence,  God  has  made  a  revelation  of  him- 
self, which  is  contained  in  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old 
and  New  Testaments.  These  Scriptures  are  inspired, 
and  the  infallible  and  com])lete  rule  of  faith  and 
practice. 

Chapter  II.,  ^^  Of  God  and  the  Holy  Trinity,"  teaches 
that  there  is  hut  one  living  and  true  God,  who  pos- 
sesses all  perfections  in  himself;  that  there  are  three 
persons  in  the  Godliead,  the  Father,  the  Son  and  the 
Holy  Ghost ;  and  that  these  three  are  one  God,  the 
same  in  substance,  equal  in  power  and  glory. 

Chapter  III.,  "Of  God's  Eternal  Decree,"  teaches 
that  God,  as  the    sovereign    ruler  over  all  his  works. 


CREED   OF  PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCHES.       99 

has  from  eternity  followed  an  unchangeable  plan, 
which  comprehends  all  persons,  things  and  events. 

Chapter  IV.,  "Of  Creation,''  teaches  that  God  created 
the  universe  out  of  nothing  for  the  roanifestation  of 
his  own  glory;  that  he  created  man,  male  and  female, 
after  his  own  image,  in  knowledge,  righteousness  and 
holiness,  with  dominion  over  his  creatures;  that  the 
whole  human  family  has  descended  from  the  one  pair; 
and  that  our  first  parents,  though  holy,  were  capable 
of  falling  from  the  estate  in  which  they  were  created. 

Chapter  V.,  ''  Of  Providence,''  teaches  that  God, 
ordinarily  through  the  agency  of  second  causes,  but  at 
times  by  the  direct  energy  of  his  purpose,  continues  to 
uphold  all  his  creatures  and  direct  all  their  actions; 
and  that  the  end  of  his  providential  control  is  the 
manifestation  of  his  own  glory,  through  the  discipline 
of  his  people  and  the  punishment  of  his  enemies. 

Chapter  VI.,  "  Of  the  Fall  of  Man,  of  Sin,  and  of 
the  Consequences  thereof,"  teaches  that  our  first  parents, 
tempted  by  Satan,  sinned  against  God  by  eating  the 
forbidden  fruit ;  that  by  this  sin  they  were  cut  off  from 
communion  with  God,  lost  their  original  righteousness, 
and  were  depraved  in  all  their  faculties ;  that  all  men 
sinned  in  Adam,  who  was  their  natural  and  federal 
head ;  that  the  sinfulness  of  that  estate,  into  which  they 
fell,  consists  of  the  guilt  of  Adam's  first  sin,  the  want 


100  UNITED  PRESBYTEBIANISM. 

of  original  righteousness,  and  the  corruption  of  their 
whole  nature,  together  with  all  their  actual  transgres- 
sions ;  and  that  all  sin,  whether  original  or  actual,  de- 
serves punishment  here  and  hereafter. 

Chapter  VII.,  "  Of  God's  Covenant  with  Man," 
teaches  that  God  in  sovereign  grace  entered  into  a 
covenant,  called  the  covenant  of  works,  with  Adam  as 
the  representative  of  his  descendants ;  that  the  promise 
of  this  covenant  was  life,  and  its  condition,  perfect 
obedience ;  that  when  this  covenant  was  broken,  God 
was  pleased  to  enter  into  another  covenant,  commonly- 
called  the  covenant  of  grace,  to  deliver  men  out  of  the 
estate  of  sin  and  misery,  and  bring  them  into  an  estate 
of  salvation  by  a  Redeemer ;  and  that  this  covenant  of 
grace,  though  variously  administered  under  the  differ- 
ent dispensations,  is  one  and  the  same. 

Chapter  YIII.,  ''  Of  Christ,  the  Mediator,"  teaches 
that  Christ,  as  the  appointed  and  voluntary  Mediator, 
was  prophet,  priest  and  king ;  that  he  was  true  man  and 
very  God  in  one  person  ;  that  he  acts  as  Mediator  both  in 
his  estate  of  humiliation  and  in  his  estate  of  exaltation; 
that  he  fully  satisfied  for  his  people  by  his  obedience 
and  sufferings,  and  secured  for  them  remission  of  sins 
and  an  eternal  inheritance;  and  that  he  applies  his  re- 
demption to  all  for  whom  he  purchased  it  by  his  inter- 
cession, revelation,  effectual  calling  and  providences. 


CREED   OF   PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES.     101 

Chapter  IX.,  ''Of  Free  Will,"  teaches  that  man  is 
endowed  with  the  power  of  self-decision — that  is,  of 
deciding  in  every  case  as  he  pleases ;  and  explains  the 
peculiar  conditions  of  human  liberty  in  the  estate  of 
original  innocence,  in  the  estate  of  sin,  in  the  estate  of 
imperfectly  sanctified  saints  on  earth,  and  in  the  estate 
of  glory. 

Chapter  X.,  "Of  Effectual  Calling,^'  teaches  that 
there  is  an  internal  as  well  as  an  external  call  necessary 
to  salvation;  that  the  subjects  of  the  internal  or 
effectual  call  are  the  elect ;  that  it  is  an  act  of  divine 
power  through  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  works  a  radical 
change  in  the  moral  condition  of  the  whole  man  ;  and 
that  it  is  effected  by  the  instrumentality  of  the  truth, 
except  in  the  case  of  infants  and  others  incapable  of 
knowledge. 

Chapter  XI.,  "Of  Justification,''  teaches  that  all 
those  who  are  effectually  called  are  justified  ;  that 
justification  is  a  judicial  act  of  God,  and  is  a  decla- 
ration that  the  person  justified  is  right  in  the  eye  of 
the  law ;  and  that  it  proceeds  upon  the  imputation  of 
Christ's  righteousness,  which  is  conditioned  on  faith 
alone. 

Chapter  XII.,  "  Of  Adoption,"  teaches  the  nature  of 
adoption,  and  the  privileges  of  those  who  are  taken 
into  the  family  of  God. 


102  UNITED  PBESBYTERIANISM. 

Chapter  XIII.,  ^^Of  Sanctification/'  teaches  that 
sanctification  is  a  growth  in  holiness,  wrought  by  the 
word  and  Spirit  in  those  who  are  effectually  called  and 
justified ;  that  it  extends  to  the  entire  man  ;  and  that  it  is 
never  perfect  in  the  present  life,  though  it  never  fails. 

Chapter  XIV.,  "  Of  Saving  Faith,''  teaches  that 
saving  faith  is  the  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  that 
while  its  general  object  is  the  whole  word  of  God,  its 
specific  acts  are  receiving  and  resting  upon  Christ 
alone  for  salvation  ;  that  it  varies  in  strength  in  differ- 
ent persons  and  in  the  same  persons  at  different  periods; 
and  that  in  time  it  grows  up  to  the  measure  of  full 
assurance. 

Chapter  XV.,  "Of  Repentance  unto  Life,"  teaches 
that  true  repentance  rests  on  a  sense  of  guilt  and 
pollution,  and  an  apprehension  of  the  mercy  of  God  in 
Christ ;  that  it  consists  in  hatred  of  sin,  turning  unto 
God,  and  an  endeavor  after  new  obedience ;  that  though 
there  is  no  merit  in  repentance,  every  sin  when  re- 
pented of  will  be  forgiven ;  that  repentance  should  ex- 
tend to  all  sins ;  and  that  every  man  should  confess  his 
sins  to  God,  and  to  those  who  are  injured  by  them. 

Chapter  XVI.,  "Of  Good  Works,"  teaches  that  any 
work,  in  order  to  be  good,  must  be  commanded  and 
must  spring  from  a  right  motive ;  that  though  the 
ability  to  do  good  works  is  wholly  from  God,  we  must 


GREED  OF  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES.      103 

exert  ourselves  in  this  direction  ;  that  though  the  best 
works  of  believers  are  imperfect,  they  are  accepted 
and  rewarded  through  Christ;  and  that  the  works 
of  the  unregenerate  are  not  acceptable  in  the  sight  of 
God. 

Chapter  XVII.,  "  Of  the  Perseverance  of  the 
Saints,'^  teaches  tliat  the  true  believer  can  never  totally 
and  finally  fall  from  grace,  though  he  may  fall  tempor- 
arily; and  that  the  ground  of  this  perseverance  is  not 
in  the  believer,  but  in  the  purpose,  promise  and  grace 
of  God. 

Chapter  XVIII.,  ^^Of  Assurance  of  Grace  and 
Salvation,"  teaclies  that  true  assurance  of  salvation  rests 
upon  the  divine  promises,  the  inward  evidence  of  grace, 
and  the  witness  of  the  Spirit;  that  it  is  attainable ;  that 
it  may  be  lost  in  various  ways ;  and  that  it  should  be 
sought  as  a  great  privilege. 

Chapter  XIX.,  "  Of  the  Law  of  God,"  teaches  that 
man  was  created  a  moral  agent,  subject  to  a  moral  law 
of  absolute  perfection;  that  this  law,  since  the  fall,  is 
not  the  condition  of  salvation,  but  the  rule  of  life; 
that  it  is  summarily  comprehended  in  the  Ten  Com- 
mandments;  and  that  it  continues  in  force  in  the 
gospel  dispensation,  and  has  manifold  uses. 

Chapter  XX.,  '^Of  Christian  Liberty,  and  Liberty 
of  Conscience/'  teaclies  that  Christian  liberty  includes 


104  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

peace  with  God  and  deliverance  from  the  guilt  of  sin, 
the  power  of  corruption,  and  the  bondage  of  Satan, 
afflictions  and  death ;  that  God  alone  is  Lord  of  the 
conscience ;  that  his  will  is  revealed  only  in  the  Scrip- 
tures ;  tliat  to  require  or  yield  belief  in  those  doctrines 
of  men,  which  are  contrary  to  the  revealed  will  of  God, 
is  treason  to  him;  that  Christian  liberty  has  its  limits; 
and  that  God  has  established  both  church  and  state, 
and  he  requires  obedience  to  each. 

Chapter  XXI.,  "Of  Religious  Worship,  and  the 
Sabbath  Day,"  teaches  the  obligation,  nature  and  only 
proper  object  of  worship ;  the  nature,  matter  and  con- 
ditions of  acceptable  prayer ;  the  ordinances  of  public, 
family  and  private  worship;  the  law  of  the  Sabbath, 
and  the  proper  method  of  its  observance. 

Chapter  XXII.,  "Of  Lawful  Oaths  and  Vows,'' 
teaches  the  nature  and  obligation  of  lawful  oaths  and 
vows. 

Chapter  XXIIL,  "  Of  the  Civil  Magistrate,"  teaches 
that  civil  government  originates,  not  with  the  people, 
but  with  God ;  that  its  proximate  end  is  the  good  of 
the  community,  and  its  ultimate  end  the  glory  of  God; 
that  it  is  lawful  for  Christians  to  be  magistrates ;  and 
that  the  church  and  state  are  not  to  interfere  with  one 
another. 

Chapter   XXIV.,   "Of   Marriage  and    Divorce," 


CREED  OF  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES.       105 

teaches  the  nature,  end  and  lawfulness  of  marriage,  and 
the  grounds  of  lawful  divorce. 

Chapter  XXV.,  "  Of  the  Church,"  teaches  that  the 
invisible  church  consists  of  the  whole  number  of  the 
elect  that  have  been,  are,  or  shall  be  gathered  into  one; 
that  the  visible  church  consists  of  all  those  throughout 
the  world  that  profess  the  true  religion,  together  with 
their  children ;  that  out  of  it  there  is  no  ordinary  pos- 
sibility of  salvation ;  that  it  can  never  fail,  though  it 
may  vary  in  purity  at  different  times  and  places ;  and 
that  Christ  is  its  only  head. 

Chapter  XXVI.,  "Of  Communion  of  Saints," 
teaches  the  communion  and  fellowship  of  Christ  and  his 
people;  and  the  communion,  fellowship  and  mutual 
duties  of  the  saints. 

Chapter  XXVII.,  "  Of  the  Sacraments,"  teaches  that 
a  sacrament  is  an  ordinance  instituted  by  Christ;  that 
it  consists  of  a  visible  sign  and  an  inward  spiritual 
grace ;  that  it  was  designed  to  represent,  seal  and  apply 
the  benefits  of  Christ  to  believers,  and  to  be  the  badge 
of  their  profession  ;  that  its  virtue  does  not  depend  on 
the  piety  or  intention  of  the  administrator,  but  on  the 
divine  appointment  and  the  sovereign  grace  of  the 
Spirit ;  and  that  there  are  only  two  sacraments  in  the 
new  dispensation. 

Chapter   XXA^II.,    '^Of  Baptism,"  teaches   that 


106  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

baptism  is  a  washing  with  water  in  the  name  of  tlhe 
Trinity ;  that  it  is  designed  to  signify  and  seal  our 
engrafting  into  Christ,  and  our  engagement  to  be  his ; 
that  not  only  professors  of  religion,  but  also  infants  of 
believers,  are  to  be  baptized ;  and  that,  though  it  is  not 
essential  to  salvation,  it  is  a  duty. 

Chapter  XXIX.,  "  Of  the  Lord's  Supper,"  teaches 
the  divine  institution,  perpetual  obligation,  design  and 
effects  of  the  Lord's  Supper ;  points  out  the  errors  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church  in  respect  to  this  sacra- 
ment ;  and  states  the  true  relation  between  the  bread 
and  wine,  and  the  flesh  and  blood  of  Christ. 

Chapter  XXX.,  "  Of  Church  Censures,"  teaches  the 
divine  appointment  of  a  government  for  the  church, 
which  is  distinct  from  that  of  the  state ;  the  nature 
and  extent  of  church  power  ;  and  the  ends  and  methods 
of  discipline. 

Chapter  XXXL,  ^*  Of  Synods  and  Councils,"  teaches 
the  design  of  church  courts  ;  the  way  in  which  they  are 
to  be  assembled  ;  the  matters  which  come  under  their 
jurisdiction  ;  their  authority;  and  the  extent  to  which 
submission  to  their  decisions  is  a  duty. 

Chapter  XXXIL,  "  Of  the  State  of  Men  after  Death, 
and  of  the  Resurrection  of  the  Dead,"  teaches  that  man 
consists  of  soul  and  body;  that  at  death  the  bodies  of 
all  return  to  dust;   that  immediately  after  death  the 


CREED  OF  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES.      107 

SQuls  of  believers  are  made  perfect  in  holiness,  and  pass 
into  glory,  while  the  souls  of  unbelievers  are  cast  into 
the  world  of  the  lost ;  and  that  at  thie  last  day  the  liv- 
ing will  be  changed,  and  the  bodies  of  the  just  and 
unjust,  which  were  laid  in  the  grave,  will  be  raised  and 
united  with  their  souls. 

Chapter  XXXIII.,  ^^Of  the  Last  Judgment," 
teaches  that  God  has  appointed  a  day  of  general  judgment 
and  has  committed  this  judgment  to  his  Son  ;  that  all  are 
to  be  judged  according  to  the  deeds  done  in  the  body ; 
that  the  righteous  are  to  be  exalted  to  eternal  honor 
and  happiness ;  that  the  ungodly  are  to  be  driven  away 
to  everlasting  punishment;  that  the  time  of  the  judg- 
ment is  unknown  ;  and  that  this  uncertainty  should 
lead  to  constant  watchfulness. 

This  is  a  very  brief  analysis  of  the  Westminster  Con- 
fession of  Faith.  We  believe  that,  "  for  substance  of 
doctrine,"  it  is  in  harmony  with  the  teaching  of  the 
Scriptures.  In  most  of  the  copies  of  the  Confession  of 
Faith,  the  Scripture  proofs  are  arranged  under  each 
section.  We  commend  these  proofs  to  your  careful 
study.  If  such  study  brings  you,  as  it  has  brought 
many,  to  the  conviction  that  the  Westminster  Confes- 
sion of  Faith  is  a  correct  expression  in  human  language 
of  the  divine  will,  you  v\  ill  be  ready  to  give  your  in- 
telligent assent  to  this  common  standard  of  the  Presby- 


108  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

terian  churches.  If  the  appointed  way  of  confessiDg 
our  faith  in  Christ  is  by  a  union  with  the  church,  you 
will  be  ready  to  unite  with  some  branch  of  the  Presby- 
terian family,  for  the  Presbyterian  Church,  in  its  creed 
as  well  as  in  its  form  of  government,  "  is  agreeable  to, 
and  founded  on,"  the  word  of  God. 


CHAPTER  yil. 

THE   UNITED   PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH. 

Be  ready  always  to  give  an  answer  to  every  man  tliat  asketh  you 
a  reason  of  the  hope  that  is  in  you  with  meekness  and  fear. — 1 
Peter  iii.  15. 

T  I  IHE  United  Presbyterian  Church  is  one  branch 
of  the  great  Presbyterian  family.  Wherein  does 
it  agree  with  other  Presbyterian  churches?  Wherein 
does  it  differ  from  them  ?  These  questions  will  be 
answered  in  the  present  chapter. 

ITS  ORIGIN. 

A  brief  sketch  of  the  origin  and  history  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church  will  be  of  advantage  in 
our  investigations.  In  1733  certain  ministers  seceded 
from  the  Established  Church  of  Scotland,  on  the 
ground  that  there  were  corruptions  in  the  doctrines 
of  the  church,  and  tyranny  in  the  administration  of  its 
government.  Soon  after,  they  organized  themselves  as 
a  Presbytery,  which  was  called  the  Associate,  or  Seces- 
sion Presbytery.     For  a  time  they  performed  no  ju- 

(109) 


110  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

dicial  acts;  but  after  waiting  for  three  years,  and  seeing 
no  prospect  of  healing  the  breach  between  them  and  the 
mother  church,  they  proceeded  to  do  the  proper  work 
of  a  church  court.  At  first  there  were  but  four  seceding 
ministers,  but  their  number  increased  so  rapidly  that 
they  found  it  necessary,  in  1744,  to  constitute  them- 
selves into  a  Synod,  consisting  of  three  Presbyteries. 

A  missionary  spirit  characterized  the  Associate 
Synod  of  Scotland  from  tlie  very  first,  and  one  of  its 
fields  of  missionary  labor  was  the  American  colonies. 
That  Synod  received  petition  after  petition  from  the 
Scotch  and  Scotch-Irish  emigrants  to  America,  to  send 
them  ministers.  For  a  time  nothing  could  be  done  in 
answer  to  these  petitions,  on  account  of  the  scarcity 
of  ministers  at  home;  but  in  1753  two  missionaries 
were  sent  to  Pennsylvania,  who  organized  themselves 
into  a  Presbytery,  under  the  name  of  the  Associate 
Presbytery  of  Pennsylvania.  Afterwards  other  min- 
isters were  sent,  and  on  May  20,  1776,  the  Presbytery 
was  divided  into  two,  viz.,  the  Associate  Presbytery  of 
Pennsylvania  and  the  Associate  Presbytery  of  New 
York.  There  were  at  this  time  a  few  ministers  in  the 
United  States  who  belonged  to  the  Reformed  Presby- 
terian or  Covenanter  Church.  A  union  was  formed 
between  the  Associate  and  Reformed  Presbyterian 
churches,  June   13,  1782,  and  the  united   body  was 


THE   UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH,    m 

called,  from  the  name  of  the  churches  composing  it,  the 
Associate  Reformed  Church.  However,  two  ministers 
of  the  Associate  Presbytery  of  Pennsylvania  disap- 
proved of  this  union  and  continued  their  old  organiza- 
tion. This  Presbytery  was  so  strengthened  by  other 
ministers,  sent  out  by  the  Associate  Church  of  Scot- 
land, that  on  May  3,  1800,  it  formed  itself  into  a 
Synod,  designated  as  the  Associate  Synod  of  North 
America. 

This  was  the  origin  of  the  Associate  and  Associate 
Reformed  Churches  in  this  country.  The  two  denomi- 
nations occupied  the  same  territory,  and  held  sub- 
stantially the  same  doctrines.  The  conviction  grew 
stronger  and  stronger  that  they  should  be  united. 
Efforts  were  made  in  the  direction  of  union,  but  for 
many  years  these  efforts  were  unsuccessful.  At  last, 
on  May  26,  1858,  the  union  between  them  was  con- 
summated in  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  and  the  united  body 
was  called  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  of  North 
America. 

In  the  year  1859  this  church  was  composed  of  42 
Presbyteries,  408  ministers,  634  congregations,  and 
55,547  members;  and  during  that  year  it  raised  for  all 
purposes  $22,989.  Since  that  time  its  growth  has  been 
steady.  In  1881  there  were  61  Presbyteries,  704 
ministers,  814  congregations,  82,937  members;  and  the 


112  UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  ISM. 

money  raised  amounted  to  $853,541,  or  an  average  of 
$10.74  per  member. 

As  we  look  back  over  the  long  separation  between 
the  two  denominations,  which  united  to  form  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church,  we  can  only  wonder  that 
Christians,  who  were  so  nearly  of  one  mind,  could  have 
been  content  to  remain  apart  for  such  a  length  of  time. 
The  harmony  which  has  prevailed,  and  the  progress 
which  has  been  made,  prove  that  their  union  has 
received  the  blessing  of  the  King  and  Plead  of  the 
church. 

ITS   GOVERNMENT. 

The  government  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church, 
as  its  name  indicates,  is  Presbyterian.  Its  government, 
as  set  forth  in  its  Book  of  Government  and  Discipline, 
does  not  differ  materially  from  that  of  other  Presby- 
terian churches.  It  was  shown  in  a  former  chapter 
that  Presbyterianism,  in  its  officers  and  courts,  is 
founded  on  the  Scriptures.  Therefore,  the  United 
Presbyterian  Church  is,  in  respect  to  its  government, 
in  harmony  with  the  word  of  God. 

ITS    CREED. 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  the  Westminster 
Confession  of  Faith  is  the  common  creed  of  all 
English-speaking  Presbyterian  churches.    The  United 


THE   UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.    113 

Presbyterian  Church  accepts  this  Confession,  with 
some  modifications  respecting  the  power  of  the  civil 
magistrate  concerning  religious  affairs,  as  expressing  in 
plain  language  the  teaching  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  in 
matters  of  faith  and  practice.  An  analysis  of  the  West- 
minster Confession  of  Faith  was  given  in  the  last  chap- 
ter, and  all  were  invited  to  test  its  truth  by  an  appeal 
to  the  supreme  standard  of  the  inspired  word.  If  this 
Confession  is,  as  we  believe,  agreeable  to  and  founded 
on  the  Scriptures,  then  the  United  Presbyterian 
Church,  in  respect  to  its  creed,  is  in  harmony  with  the 
word  of  God. 

ITS   TESTIMONY. 

It  may  be  said  :  If  the  United  Presbyterian  Church 
has  the  same  form  of  government  and  the  same  creed 
with  other  Presbyterian  churches,  wherein  does  it  dif- 
fer from  them  ?  Why  does  it  maintain  a  separate 
organization?  These  questions  are  important  ones, 
and  they  deserve  serious  attention.  It  has  been  shown 
in  another  chapter  that  there  has  been,  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  present  dispensation,  a  continual  growth  in 
the  creed  of  the  New  Testament  church.  As  the  church 
increased  in  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  it  thought  it 
necessary  to  formulate  that  truth  in  its  creed.  As  new 
errors  were  taught,  the  church  testified  against  them 
in  its  creed.     The  fathers,  who  took  an  active  part  in 


114  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

the  union  which  resulted  in  the  formation  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church,  were  of  the  opinion  that 
there  were  certain  points  which  were  not  distinctly  and 
fully  exhibited  in  the  Westminster  Confession  of  Faith, 
and  which  the  circumstances  of  the  church,  the  signs 
of  the  times,  and  the  views  and  practices  of  other 
churches,  demanded  to  be  more  explicitly  stated. 
They  accordingly  prepared  a  statement  of  the  truth  on 
these  points,  and  it  was  adopted  by  both  the  churches 
entering  into  the  union.  This  statement  is  called  the 
Testimony  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church.  It 
contains  a  plain  declaration  of  the  belief  of  the  church 
on  those  points  in  which  the  Westminster  Confession 
of  Faith  seemed  to  be  deficient,  and  it  is  a  part  of  the 
church's  creed.  It  consists  of  eighteen  articles,  on  as 
many  different  subjects.  W^e  will  take  up  these  articles 
one  by  one,  and  show  that  they  were  needed  on  ac- 
count of  the  want  of  explicitness  in  the  Confession  of 
Faith  and  the  changed  circumstances  of  the  church, 
and  briefly  state  the  argument  in  their  support. 

Article  I.,  "Of  tlie  Plenary  Inspiration  of  the  Scrip- 
tures," reads  as  follows:  "We  declare,  not  only  that 
God  has  in  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ments made  a  revelation  of  his  will  to  man,  as  the 
only  rule  of  faith  and  practice,  but  that  these  Scrip- 
tures, viewed  as  a  revelation  from  God,  are  in  every 


THE   UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.    115 

part  the  inspired  word  of  God,  and  that  this  inspira- 
tion extends  to  the  language  as  well  as  to  the  senti- 
ments which  they  express/' 

The  truth,  here  stated,  is  involved  in  the  Confession 
of  Faith,  Chapter  I.,  Section  2,  in  which,  after  men- 
tioning the  several  books  of  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ments in  their  order,  it  is  said,  "All  which  are  given 
by  inspiration  of  God  to  be  the  rule  of  faith  and 
practice." 

But  this  statement,  plain  as  it  is,  is  not  a  sufficient 
testimony  against  certain  errors  of  the  present  day. 
Loose  views  of  inspiration  are  held  by  many  who  pro- 
fess to  believe  that  the  Bible  is  the  word  of  God.  As 
an  illustration  of  these  views,  it  will  be  sufficient  to 
say  that  some  maintain  that  only  portions  of  the  Bible 
are  inspired ;  others  maintain  that  the  thoughts  of  the 
Bible  were  inspired  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  but  that  the 
writers,  left  unaided  in  the  expression  of  these 
thoughts,  fell  into  many  errors.  In  opposition  to 
these  and  similar  theories  of  inspiration,  the  United 
Presbyterian  Testimony  asserts  that  the  whole  Bible  is 
inspired,  and  that  the  inspiration  extends  to  the  lan- 
guage as  well  as  to  the  thoughts.  Does  this  doctrine 
of  plenary  or  verbal  inspiration  accord  with  the  teach- 
ing of  the  Scriptures  ?  The  truth  of  the  doctrine  may 
be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  thq  writers  did  not  al- 


116  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM, 

ways  fully  understand  what  they  wrote.  Some  of  them 
wrote  of  great  mysteries,  which  lie  far  beyond  the  reach 
of  human  knowledge;  others  predicted  events  which 
did  not  take  place  till  hundreds  of  years  after  the  pre- 
dictions were  uttered.  But  no  man  can  write  intel- 
ligibly on  a  subject  he  does  not  understand,  unless  the 
very  language  is  dictated.  But  we  are  not  left  to  in- 
ference ;  we  are  expressly  told  that  "all  Scripture  is 
given  by  inspiration  of  God/'  and  that  "  holy  men  of 
God  spake  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost." 
Paul  asserts  that  he  spake  in  the  words  "  which  the 
Holy  Ghost  teacheth."  David  declares,  "  The  Spirit 
of  the  Lord  spake  by  me,  and  his  word  was  in  my 
tongufe."  The  Scriptures  are  called  again  and  again 
"the  word  of  God."  These  assertions  establish  the 
doctrine  that  the  inspiration  of  the  Bible  extends  to 
the  language  as  well  as  to  the  thoughts.  The  inspired 
penmen  were  so  influenced  by  the  Spirit  that  they  re- 
corded with  infallible  accuracy  the  ideas  which  they 
were  moved  to  write.  This  is  an  important  doctrine. 
Anything  short  of  verbal  inspiration  weakens  the  au- 
thority of  the  Bible  and  throws  a  suspicion  over  its 
teachings.  If  the  sentiments  only  are  inspired,  we  can 
have  no  assurance  that  they  are  correctly  expressed. 
Therefore,  the  Testimony  speaks  in  plain  language  on 
this  point,  and  its  declaration  is  founded  on  the  word 
of  God. 


THE   UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.    117 

Article  II.,  "Of  the  Eternal Soiiship  of  Christ,"  is, 
"  We  declare,  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  not  only 
the  true  and  Supreme  God,  being  one  in  essence  with 
the  Father,  but  also  the  Son  of  God,  in  respect 
of  his  natural,  necessary,  and  eternal  relation  to  the 
Father." 

This  truth  is  exhibited  in  the  Confession  of  Faith : 
"  The  Son  is  eternally  begotten  of  the  Father,"  Chap- 
ter II.,  Section  3.  But  there  are  those  who  say  that 
our  Lord  is  called  the  Son  of  God,  because  God  gave 
him  a  human  body,  and  sent  him  to  the  world  on  his 
mission  of  redemption.  But  this  is  not  the  doctrine 
of  the  inspired  word.  Christ  was  the  Son  of  God 
before  his  incarnation.  He  could  not  be  called  the 
Son  of  God  on  account  of  his  eternal  appointment  to 
the  mediatorial  offioe,  for  he  is  recognized  as  already  a 
Son  in  the  very  act  of  appointment:  "Thou  art  my 
Son,  this  day  have  I  begotten  thee ; "  "  God  so  loved 
the  world  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that 
whosoever  believeth  on  him  should  not  perish,  but 
have  everlasting  life."  In  harmony  with  these  pas- 
sages, the  Testimony  declares  that  our  Lord  is  the  Son 
of  God,  not  because  of  his  incarnation,  but  because 
of  his  relation  to  the  Father  as  one  of  the  persons  of 
the  Trinity. 

Article  III.,  "Of  the  Covenant  of  AVorks,"  is,  "We 


118  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

declare  that  God,  having  created  man  in  a  state  of  per- 
fect holiness,  and  in  possession  of  a  perfect  ability  to 
obey  him  in  all  things,  did  enter  into  a  covenant  with 
him,  in  which  covenant  Adam  was  the  representative 
of  all  his  natural  posterity,  so  that  in  him  they  were  to 
stand  or  fall,  as  he  stood  or  fell/' 

The  teaching  of  the  Confession  of  Faith  on  this 
point  is  in  these  words :  ^'  They/'  our  first  parents, 
"being  the  root  of  all  mankind,  tlie  guilt  of  this  sin 
was  imputed,  and  the  same  death  in  sin  and  corrupted 
nature  conveyed  to  all  their  posterity,  descending  from 
them  by  ordinary  generation,"  Chapter  VI.,  Section  3. 
"  The  first  covenant  made  with  man  was  a  covenant 
of  works,  wherein  life  was  promised  to  Adam,  and  in 
him  to  his  posterity,  upon  condition  of  perfect  and 
personal  obedience,"  Chapter  VIL,  Section  2. 

Many,  who  profess  adherence  to  the  Westminster 
Confession  of  Faith,  affirm  that  Adam  and  his  pos- 
terity are  connected  only  by  a  principle  of  social  lia- 
bility, according  to  which  his  sin  was  the  occasion,  but 
not  the  judicial  ground,  of  their  sin  and  death,  and 
that  we  have  no  more  to  do  with  the  first  sin  of  Adam 
than  we  have  with  the  sin  of  any  other  parents.  In  oppo- 
sition to  this,  the  Testimony  asserts  that  the  transaction 
with  Adam  was  a  covenant,  and  that  in  this  covenant 
Adam  was  the  representative  of  all  his  posterity.    Was 


THE   UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.     119 

it  a  covenant  ?  There  are  two  parties  mentioned,  God 
and  man ;  there  is  a  promise  on  the  part  of  God ;  there 
is  a  condition  imposed  on  man ;  there  is  a  mutual 
agreement  between  the  parties,  which  is  expressed,  on 
the  part  of  God,  in  his  command  and  promise,  and 
implied,  on  the  part  of  man,  in  his  acquiescence. 
Therefore,  as  this  transaction  has  all  the  parts  of  a 
covenant,  it  is  properly  called  a  covenant  between  God 
and  man.  But  was  Adam  the  federal  head  or  repre- 
sentative of  his  posterity  in  this  covenant?  The  Scrip- 
tures tell  us  that  "  by  one  man  sin  entered  into  the 
world,"  that  all  were  "made  sinners"  by  his  dis- 
obedience, and  that  all  die  in  him.  These  passages 
prove  that  Adam  was  not  only  the  natural  head  or 
parent  of  all  men,  but  also  that  he  was  their  moral 
head,  who  appeared  and  acted  in  their  name  as  well  as 
in  his  own.  The  same  truth  is  taught  by  the  inspired 
parallel,  which  is  drawn  between  Adam  as  the  repre- 
sentative of  his  posterity,  and  Christ  as  the  representa- 
tive of  his  spiritual  seed.  Therefore,  the  Testimony, 
in  declaring  that  the  transaction  with  Adam  was  a 
covenant,  and  that  in  this  covenant  Adam  was  the 
federal  head  of  his  posterity,  is  in  harmony  with  the 
Scriptures. 

Article  IV.,  "Of  the  Fall  of  Man  and  His  Present  In- 
ability,'' reads  thus :  "We  declare  that  our  first  par^^-nts 


120  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

did,  by  their  breach  of  covenant  with  God,  subject 
themselves  to  his  eternal  wrath,  and  bring  themselves 
into  such  a  state  of  depravity  as  to  be  wholly  inclined 
to  sin,  and  altogether  unable,  by  their  own  power,  to 
perform  a  single  act  of  acceptable  obedience  to  God  ; 
and  that  all  their  natural  posterity,  in  virtue  of  their 
representation  in  the  covenant,  are  born  into  the  world 
in  the  same  state  of  guilt,  depravity  and  inability, 
and  in  this  state  will  continue  until  delivered  there- 
from by  the  grace  and  righteousness  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ." 

The  teaching  of  the  Confession  of  Faith  on  this 
subject  is  as  follows:  Our  first  parents  "being  the  root 
of  all  mankind,  the  guilt  of  this  sin  was  imputed, 
and  the  same  death  in  sin  and  corrupted  nature  con- 
veyed to  all  their  posterity,  descending  from  them  by 
ordinary  generation.  From  this  original  corruption, 
whereby  we  are  utterly  indisposed,  disabled,  and  made 
opposite  to  all  good,  and  wholly  inclined  to  all  evil, 
do  proceed  all  actual  transgressions,"  Chapter  VI., 
Section  3,  4.  "  Man,  by  his  fall  into  a  state  of  sin, 
hath  wholly  lost  all  ability  of  will  to  any  spiritual 
^ood  accompanying  salvation ;  so  as  a  natural  man, 
b6i(ng  altogether  averse  from  that  good  and  dead  in 
sin,  is  not  able,  by  his  own  strength,  to  convert  him- 
self, T>r  to  prepare  himself  thereunto,"  Chapter  IX., 
Sectioi\3. 


\ 


THE   UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.     121 

There  are  those  who  profess  to  believe  the  West- 
minster standards,  who  assert  that  there  is  no  such 
thing  as  original  sin,  that  infants  come  into  the  world 
as  free  from  corruption  as  Adam  was  when  he  was 
created,  and  that  the  impenitent  sinner,  without  the  aid 
of  the  Spirit,  has  power  to  repent,  believe  and  perform 
good  works.  The  article  of  the  Testimony  now  under 
consideration  is  directed  against  these  errors.  That 
our  first  parents,  by  their  sin,  became  subject  to  a 
death  which  included  in  it  not  only  separation  of  the 
soul  from  the  body,  but  also  separation  of  both  soul 
and  body  from  the  favor  and  presence  of  God,  is  evi- 
dent from  the  account  of  the  fall,  and  from  the  inspired 
references  to  it  in  other  parts  of  Scripture.  Do  the 
posterity  of  Adam  come  into  the  world  in  this  state 
of  natural,  spiritual  and  eternal  death?  We  might 
infer  an  affirmative  answer  to  this  question  from 
Adam's  representative  character,  but  we  are  not  left  to 
inference.  The  Scriptures  declare  that  man  is  in  a 
state  of  death  and  condemnation,  that  his  understanding 
is  darkened,  that  his  will  is  opposed  to  the  will  of  God, 
that  his  mind  and  conscience  are  defiled,  that  his  affec- 
tions are  corrupted,  and  that  his  body  is  an  instrument 
of  unrighteousness.  The  Scriptures  also  assert  that 
this  state  of  condemnation  and  depravity  is  universal, 
extending  to  every  individual  of  the  human  family ; 


122  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

that  it  is  total,  corrupting  the  whole  man ;  and  that  it 
is  native,  having  been  brought  with  us  into  the  world. 
If  this  is  the  natural  condition  of  men,  it  is  evident 
that  they  are  not  able  to  beli-eve,  or  repent,  or  do  any- 
thing which  is  pleasing  to  God.  Their  inability  in 
this  direction  is  expressly  taught.  The  Saviour  says, 
"  A¥ithout  me,  ye  can  do  nothing ; "  "  No  man  can 
come  unto  me,  except  the  Father  which  has  sent  me 
draw  him."  Paul  declares  that  we  were  "  without 
strength."  We  are  represented  as  "dead,"  and  as 
corrupt  trees  "  which  cannot  bring  forth  good  fruit." 
In  accordance  with  these  and  similar  passages  of  Scrip- 
ture, the  Testimony  declares  that  we,  as  well  as  our 
first  parents  after  the  fall,  are  totally  depraved  and 
altogether  unable  to  obey  the  commands  of  God,  and 
that  this  state  of  depravity  and  inability  will  con- 
tinue until  we  are  delivered  by  the  grace  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ. 

Article  V.,  "Of  the  Nature  and  Extent  of  the  Atone- 
ment," reads :  "  We  declare  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
did,  by  the  appointment  of  the  Father,  and  by  his  own 
gracious  and  voluntary  act,  place  himself  in  the  room 
of  a  definite  number,  who  were  chosen  in  him  before 
the  foundation  of  the  world  ;  so  that  he  was  their  true 
and  proper  legal  surety ;  and  as  such  did,  in  their  be- 
half, satisfy  the  justice  of   God,  and  answer  all  the 


THE  UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.     123 

demands  which  the  law  had  against  them,  and  thereby 
infallibly  obtain  for  them  eternal  redemption." 

The  doctrine  here  declared  is  the  doctrine  of  the 
Confession  of  Faith :  "  The  Lord  Jesus,  by  his  perfect 
obedience  and  sacrifice  of  himself,  which  he  through 
the  eternal  Spirit  once  offered  up  unto  God,  hath  fully 
satisfied  the  justice  of  his  Father,  and  purchased  not 
only  reconciliation,  but  an  everlasting  inheritance  in 
the  kingdom  of  heaven,  for  all  those  whom  the  Father 
hath  given  unto  hini»"  "To  all  those  for  whom  Christ 
hath  purchased  redemption,  he  doth  certainly  and 
effectually  apply  and  communicate  the  same,"  Chapter 
VIII.,  Sections  5,  8. 

There  are  those  who  maintain  that  Christ  did  not 
die  in  the  room  of  sinners,  but  only  for  sin  in  general, 
with  the  view  of  rendering  salvation  attainable,  and 
equally  attainable,  by  all.  What  is  the  truth,  as  re- 
vealed in  the  word  of  God  ?  That  our  Lord  sustained 
the  character  and  relation  of  a  substitute  is  plainly 
taught  in  the  Scriptures.  He  is  called  "  the  surety  of 
a  better  testament,"  or  covenant.  He  was  "made 
under  the  law  to  redeem  them  that  were  under  the 
law."  Our  iniquities  "were  laid  upon  him;"  he 
"  bore  our  sins  ;  "  he  was  "  made  sin  for  us ;  "  he  was 
"made  a  curse  for  us."  These  and  other  passages 
establish  the  truth  that  our  Lord  was  the  legal  surety 


124  VISITED  PRESBYTERIAN  ISM. 

of  his  people.  If  he  was  their  surety,  he  must  have 
satisfied  the  justice  of  God  and  answered  all  the  de- 
mands which  the  law  had  against  them.  The  ques- 
tions then  present  themselves  for  an  answer:  For  whom 
did  Christ  act  as  surety?  For  whom  did  he  satisfy 
the  demands  of  the  law?  He  must  have  died  for  sin 
in  general,  or  for  all  the  sins  of  all  men,  or  for  some 
of  the  sins  of  all  men,  or  for  all  the  sins  of  some  men. 
He  did  not  die  for  sin  in  general,  for  the  Scriptures 
represent  him  as  dying  not  merely  for  sins,  but  in  the 
room  of  sinners.  He  did  not  die  for  all  the  sins  of  all 
men,  for  then  all  would  be  saved;  inasmuch  as  it  is 
impossible  to  conceive  that  any  should  be  lost  for 
whom  Christ  died.  He  did  not  die  for  some  of  the 
sins  of  all  men,  for  then  no  one  could  be  saved;  for  it 
is  a  revealed  truth  that  no  one  can  make  a  sufficient 
atonement  for  the  least  of  his  sins.  Therefore,  he 
must  have  died  for  all  the  sins  of  some  men.  Hence, 
those  for  whom  Christ  died  are  called  his  "seed,"  his 
"  sheep,"  and  his  "  church."  They  are  gathered  "  out 
of  all  nations,"  "chosen,"  "given  to  him  by  the 
Father,"  "redeemed  from  among  men."  Christ  ex- 
pressly declares  that  he  did  not  pray  for  any  but  his 
sheep;  and  we  cannot  conceive  that  he  would  refuse  to 
pray  for  those  for  whom  he  died.  It  is  certainly  true 
that  Christ's  death  possessed  an  infinite  value.     It  was 


THE  UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.    125 

sufficient  as  a  ransom  for  all  mankind,  if  it  had  been 
the  design  of  God  that  all  mankind  should  be  redeemed 
by  it.  But  the  Scriptures  represent  him  as  dying  for 
a  definite  number,  for  whom  he  satisfied  all  the  de- 
mands of  the  law,  and  whose  salvation  he  made  infal- 
libly sure.  This  Scripture  doctrine  is  the  one  set  forth 
in  this  article  of  the  Testimony. 

Article  VI.,  "Of  Imputed  Righteousness,"  is :  "We 
^  declare  that  in  justification  there  is  an  imputation  to 
the  believer  of  that  righteousness,  or  satisfaction  and 
obedience,  which  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  surety 
of  his  people,  rendered  to  the  law;  and  that  it  is  only 
on  the  ground  of  this  imputed  righteousness  that  his 
sins  are  pardoned,  and  his  person  accepted  in  the  sight 
of  God." 

This  declaration  is  evidently  in  accordance  with  the 
Confession  of  Faith:  "Those  whom  God  effectually 
calleth  he  also  freely  justifieth,"  "by  imputing  the 
obedience  and  satisfaction  of  Christ  unto  them,  they 
receiving  and  resting  on  him  and  his  righteousness  ^)y 
faith,"  Chapter  XI.,  Section  1. 

Some  affirm  that  the  believer  is  justified  on  the 
ground  of  his  faith.  Now  faith,  though  it  is  the  gift 
of  God,  is  nevertheless  the'^act  of  the  believer,  in  which 
he  performs  a  duty  required  of  him  by  God.  If  he  is 
justified  on  the  ground  of  his  faith,  his  justification  is 


126  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

of  works,  which  the  Scriptures  expressly  deny.  On 
what  ground,  then,  are  believers  justified?  The  Tes- 
timony answers,  on  the  ground  of  the  imputed  right- 
eousness of  Christ.  The  imputation  of  the  righteous- 
ness of  Christ  is  placing  to  the  account  of  believers 
what  Christ  did  as  their  surety.  Is  the  satisfaction 
which  he  rendered  to  the  law  placed  to  their  account? 
Such  passages  as  these,  "  that  we  might  be  made  the 
righteousness  of  God  in  him,"  "  made  unto  us  right- 
eousness," '^  by  the  obedience  of  one  shall  many  be 
made  righteous,"  "the  righteousness  of  God  is  unto  all 
and  upon  all  that  believe,"  fully  establish  the  doctrine 
of  the  imputation  of  the  righteousness  of  Christ  as  the 
ground  of  the  believer's  justification  before  God.  This 
is  the  doctrine  stated  in  the  article  before  us. 

Article  VII.,  "Of  the  Gospel  Offer,"  is  as  follows: 
"We  declare  that  the  gospel,  taken  in  its  strict  and 
proper  sense,  as  distinguished  from  the  law,  is  a  reve- 
lation of  grace  to  sinners  as  such ;  and  that  it  contains 
a  free  and  unconditional  offer  and  grant  of  salvation 
through  Christ  to  all  who  hear  it,  whatever  may  be 
their  character  or  condition." 

The  doctrine  here  stated  is  implied,  though  some- 
what obscurely,  in  the  Confession  of  Faith,  Chapter 
X.,  Section  4.  After  speaking  of  the  effectual  calling 
of  the  elect,  it  is  said  that  others  "'  may  be  called  by  the 
minister  of  the  word," 


THE   UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH.     127 

Such  an  important  doctrine  demands  a  more  explicit 
enunciation.  The  idea  has  been  entertained  that 
salvation  is  to  be  offered  to  none  but  penitent  and 
awakened  sinners,  that  only  such  sinners  are  war- 
ranted to  come  to  Christ,  and  that  sinners  are  first  to 
prepare  themselves  to  come  to  Christ  by  making  them- 
selves sensible  of  their  need  of  him,  and  by  exciting  in 
their  hearts  a  desire  for  his  salvation.  This  article  in 
the  Testimony  is  opposed  to  this  idea.  It  declares  that 
the  gospel,  as  distinguished  from  the  law,  contains 
neither  precept  nor  sanction,  and  that  it  makes  a  free, 
unconditional  and  unlimited  offer  of  Christ  and  salva- 
tion through  him  to  all  men.  That  the  gospel  contains 
such  an  offer  is  evident  from  the  express  testimony  of 
God's  word.  "God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave 
his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  him 
should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life  ;  '^  "  Him 
that  Cometh  unto  me,  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out;" 
"Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock;  if  any  man 
hear  my  voice  and  open  the  door,  I  will  come  in  to 
him  and  sup  with  him,  and  he  with  me;''  "The  Spirit 
and  the  bride  say,  come.  And  let  him  that  heareth 
say,  come.  And  let  him  that  is  athirst  come.  And 
whosoever  will,  let  him  take  the  water  of  life  freely." 
Therefore,  the  minister  of  the  gospel  is  to  offer  a  free 
and  unconditional  salvation  to  all,  not  because  Christ 


128  UNITED  PBESBYTERIANISM. 

died  for  all,  or  because  all  will  be  saved,  but  because 
this  is  the  command  of  him  to  whom  the  Father  has 
given  all  power  '^in  heaven  and  in  earth,''  and  because 
his  obedience  and  death  are  a  sufiicient  ransom  for  all. 

Article  VIII.,  ^^Of  Saving  Faith,"  is:  ''  We  declare 
that  in  true  and  saving  faith  there  is  not  merely  an 
assent  of  the  mind  to  the  proposition  that  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  Saviour  of  sinners,  but  also  a 
cordial  reception  and  appropriation  of  him  by  the  sin- 
ner as  his  Saviour,  with  an  accompanying  persuasion 
or  assurance  corresponding  to  the  degree  or  strength 
of  his  faith,  that  he  shall  be  saved  by  him ;  a\  hich  ap- 
propriation and  persuasion  are  founded  solely  upon  the 
free,  unconditional  and  unlimited  offer  of  Christ  and 
salvation  in  him,  which  God  makes  in  the  gospel  to 
sinners  of  mankind." 

The  truth,  here  declared,  is  so  plainly  stated  in  the 
Confession  of  Faith,  that  there  seems  little  need  of  this 
article  of  the  Testimony.  However,  the  importance 
of  the  doctrine  is  a  sufficient  reason  for  its  frequent 
repetition.  "  By  this  faith,  a  Christian  believeth  to  be 
true  whatsoever  is  revealed  in  the  word,  for  the  au- 
thority of  God  himself  speaking  therein,  and  acteth 
differently  upon  that  which  each  particular  passage 
thereof  containeth;  yielding  obedience  to  the  com- 
mands, trembling  at  the  threatenings,  and  embracing 


THE   UNITED  PRESBYTERIAS  CHURCH.     129 

the  promises  of  God  for  this  life  and  that  which  is  to 
come.  But  the  principal  acts  of  saving  faith  are  ac- 
cepting, receiving  and  resting  upon  Christ  alone  for 
justification,  sanctification  and  eternal  life,  by  virtue 
of  the  covenant  of  grace,"  Chapter  XIV.,  Section  2. 

Faith,  in  the  general  acceptation  of  the  term,  is  a 
belief  in  testimony.  Human  faith  is  a  belief  in  human 
testimony;  divine  faith  is  a  belief  in  divine  testimony. 
But  faith  must  always  correspond  with  the  testimony 
to  be  believed.  If  the  gospel  was  only  a  record  of  facts 
and  a  statement  of  doctrines,  an  assent  of  the  mind  to 
these  facts  and  doctrines  would  be  the  faith  required. 
But  the  gospel  is  something  more  than  this.  What  is 
the  testimony  of  God  concerning  his  Son?  It  is  that 
he  has  made  in  the  gospel  a  free  and  unconditional 
oifer  of  Christ  to  us  as  sinners.  To  correspond  with 
this  testimony,  we  must  receive  and  appropriate  Christ. 
If  we  refuse  to  do  this,  we  disbelieve  the  testimony  of 
God,  and  make  him  a  liar.  This  faith,  which  is  not 
merely  an  assent  of  the  mind,  but  also  a  reception  and 
appropriation  of  Christ,  must  be  accompanied  by  an 
assurance  that  he  is  our  Saviour,  which  rests  on  the 
testimony  of  God  speaking  in  his  word.  There  is  an 
assurance,  which  rests  on  our  experience  of  the  work 
of  grace,  begun  in  our  hearts ;  but  the  assurance,  re- 
ferred to  in  the  article  before  us,  rests  solely  upon  the 


130  UNITED  PRESBYTER  I  Ay  ISM. 

witness  of  God.  We  are  persuaded  that  Christ  is 
our  Saviour,  because  he  is  freely  offered  to  us  in  the 
gospel. 

Article  IX.,  "Of  Evangelical  Repentance,"  reads 
thus:  "We  declare  that  that  repentance,  which  is  a 
saving  grace,  is  one  of  the  fruits  of  a  justifying  faith; 
and  of  course  cannot  be  regarded  as  a  ground  of  the 
sinner's  pardon,  or  as  necessary  to  qualify  him  for 
coming  to  Christ.'' 

The  doctrine  here  presented  is  exhibited  in  the  Con- 
fession of  Faith,  Chapter  XY .,  Sections  2,  3  :  "  By  it 
a  sinner,  out  of  the  sight  and  sense  not  only  of  the 
danger,  but  also  of  the  filthiness  and  odiousness  of  his 
sins,  as  contrary  to  the  holy  nature  and  righteous  law 
of  God,  and  upon  the  apprehension  of  his  mercy  in 
Christ  to  such  as  are  penitent,  so  grieves  for  and  hates 
his  sins  as  to  turn  from  them  all  unto  God,  purposing 
and  endeavoring  to  walk  with  him  in  all  the  ways  of 
his  commandments.  Although  repentance  be  not  to 
be  rested  in  as  any  satisfaction  for  sin,  or  any  cause 
of  pardon  thereof,  which  is  the  act  of  God's  free  grace 
in  Christ;  yet  it  is  of  such  necessity  to  all  sinners,  that 
none  may  expect  pardon  without  it." 

They  are  in  error  who  call  sinners  to  repentance  as 
a  means  of  appeasing  the  wrath  of  God,  or  as  qualify- 
ing them  for  the  reception  of  Clirist  by  faith.     This 


THE   UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.     131 

article  of  the  Testimony  is  directed  against  this  error. 
It  asserts  that  repentance  does  not  go  before  faith,  but 
that  it  follows  faith  as  an  immediate  fruit  or  effect. 
That  this  is  the  truth  will  appear  from  the  nature  of 
these  two  acts  of  the  soul,  and  from  the  testimony  of 
the  inspired  word.  "  Repentance  unto  life  is  a  saving 
grace,  whereby  a  sinner  out  of  a  true  sense  of  his  sin, 
and  apprehension  of  the  mercy  of  God  in  Christ,  doth 
with  grief  and  hatred  of  his  sin  turn  from  it  unto 
God,  with  full  purpose  of,  and  endeavor  after  new 
obedience.'^  If  this  is  a  correct  definition  of  evangeli- 
cal repentance,  and  its  correctness  is  assumed,  it  is 
evident  that  no  one  can  exercise  it  until  he  believes  in 
the  existence  of  God,  in  the  mission  of  Christ,  and 
in  the  mercy  of  God  in  Christ.  Therefore,  the  very 
nature  of  faith  and  repentance  proves  that  the  latter 
is  a  fruit  of  the  former.  We  reach  the  same  conclusion 
from  the  direct  testimony  of  God's  word.  "A  new 
heart  also  will  I  give  you,  and  a  new  spirit  will  I  put 
within  you ;  and  I  will  take  away  the  stony  heart  out 
of  your  flesh.  Then  shall  ye  remember  your  evil  ways 
and  your  doings  that  were  not  good,  and  shall  loathe 
yourselves  in  your  own  sight,  for  your  iniquities  and 
for  your  abominations."  In  accordance  with  this  teach- 
ing, the  Testimony  asserts  that  a  man^s  first  duty  is  to 
believe  in  Christ,  and  that  repentance  is  a  fruit  of  faith. 


132  VNITED  PBESBYTERIANISM. 

Article  X.,  "  Of  the  Believer's  Deliverance  from  the 
Law  as  a  Covenant,"  is  :  "  We  declare  that  the  moral 
law  is  of  perpetual  obligation,  and  consequently  does 
and  ever  will  bind  the  believer  as  a  rule  of  life;  yet 
as  a  covenant,  he  is,  by  his  justification  through  Christ, 
completely  and  forever  set  free  from  it,  both  as  to  its 
commanding  and  condemning  power,  and  consequently 
not  required  to  yield  obedience  to  it  as  a  condition  of 
life  and  salvation." 

This  declaration  is  in  accordance  with  the  Confession 
of  Faith,  Chapter  XVI.,  Sections  2,  5 :  "  These  good 
works,  done  in  obedience  to  God's  commandments,  are 
the  fruits  and  evidences  of  a  true  and  lively  faith, 
and  by  them  believers  manifest  their  thankfulness, 
strengthen  their  assurance,  edify  their  brethren,  adorn 
the  profession  of  the  gospel,  stop  the  mouths  of  the 
adversaries ;  whose  workmanship  they  are,  created  in 
Christ  Jesus  thereunto,  that,  having  their  fruit  unto 
holiness,  they  may  have  the  end  everlasting  life.  AVe 
cannot  by  our  best  works  merit  pardon  of  sin  or  eternal 
life  at  the  hand  of  God,  by  reason  of  the  great  dispro- 
portion that  is  between  them  and  the  glory  to  come, 
and  the  infinite  distance  that  is  between  us  and  God, 
whom  by  them  we  can  neither  profit  nor  satisfy  for  the 
debt  of  our  former  sins." 

This  article  testifies  against  the  error  of  those  who 


THE   UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.     I33 

maintain  that  the  moral  law  has  been  abrogated,  and  that 
it  is  not  binding  on  Christians  as  a  rule  of  life.  That 
the  moral  law  is  of  perpetual  obligation  is  proven  from 
the  following  considerations:  It  is  called  a  law;  its 
author  is  God,  who  is  the  great  Lawgiver;  it  has  never 
been  repealed  ;  we  are  expressly  said  to  be  "  under  law 
to  Christ."  But  though  believers  are  bound  to  keep 
the  whole  law,  it  is  a  truth  clearly  taught  in  the  word 
of  God,  that  they  are  entirely  delivered  from  it  as  a 
covenant.  It  does  not  promise  life  to  them  in  case  of 
obedience,  nor  threaten  them  with  death  in  case  of  dis- 
obedience. Their  freedom  from  the  law  appears  from 
the  fact  that  Christ,  as  their  surety  and  in  their  name, 
fulfilled  its  precepts  and  endured  its  penalty.  It  also 
appears  from  the  declarations  of  the  inspired  word. 
Believers  *are  "  delivered  from  the  law ;  "  "  not  under 
the  law,  but  under  grace  ;  "  "  dead  to  the  law  ;  "  '^justi- 
fied by  faith."  But  though  the  believer  is  delivered 
from  the  law  as  a  covenant,  he  obeys  it,  not  because 
of  the  fear  of  God's  wrath,  or  because  of  the  hope  of 
life  on  the  ground  of  his  own  works,  but  because  of 
God's  love  for  him,  and  his  love  for  God.  Such 
obedience  is  a  sacrifice,  with  which  the  Lord  is  well 
pleased. 

Article  XL,  "Of  the  Work   of  the  Holy  Spirit," 
is :  "  We  declare  that  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  third  person 


134  UNITED   PRESBYTERIANISM. 

of  the  Trinity,  does,  by  a  direct  operation  accompany- 
ing the  word,  so  act  upon  the  soul  as  to  quicken,  re- 
generate and  sanctify  it;  and  that  without  this  direct 
operation,  the  soul  would  have  no  ability  to  perceive, 
in  a  saving  manner,  the  truths  of  God's  word,  or  yield 
to  the  motives  which  it  presents." 

This  statement  accords  with  the  Confession  of  Faith, 
Chapter  X.,  Section  1.  "All  those  whom  God  hath 
predestinated  unto  life,  and  those  only,  he  is  pleased  in 
his  appointed  and  accepted  time  effectually  to  call,  by 
his  word  and  Spirit,  out  of  that  state  of  sin  and  death 
in  which  they  are  by  nature,  to  grace  and  salvation  by 
Jesus  Christ,  enlightening  their  minds  spiritually  and 
savingly  to  understand  the  things  of  God,  taking  away 
their  heart  of  stone  and  giving  unto  them  a  heart  of 
flesh,  renewing  their  wills,  and  by  his  almighty  power 
determining  them  to  that  which  is  good,  and  effectually 
drawing  them  to  Jesus  Christ,  yet  so  as  they  come 
most  freely,  being  made  willing  by  his  grace." 

This  doctrine  is  opposed  to  the  idea  that  regeneration 
and  sanctification  are  the  result  of  moral  suasion,  and 
of  the  mere  presentation  of  truth  to  the  mind.  What 
is  the  condition  of  the  sinner,  as  described  in  the  word 
of  God  ?  He  is  represented  as  "  dead  in  sins,"  and  as 
"blind."  If  this  is  his  condition,  the  precepts,  doc- 
trines, invitations  and  warnings  of  the  Scripture  can 


THE    UNITED  PRESBYTERIAy   CHURCH.     135 

liave  DO  effect  on  him,  witliout  the  direct  operation  of 
God.  That  there  is  such  an  operation,  and  that  it  is 
the  work  of  the  Spirit,  are  truths  of  revelation.  It  is 
called  a  creation,  a  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  the 
opening  of  the  eyes,  the  opening  of  the  understanding, 
a  quickening,  and  the  giving  of  a  heart  of  flesh.  The 
Spirit,  in  thus  operating  upon  the  soul,  does  not  impart 
any  new  faculties,  but  quickens,  exercises  and  sanctifies 
those  which  the  sinner  already  })ossesses.  This  is  the 
doctrine  of  the  article  before  us. 

Article  XIL,  "Of  the  Headship  of  Christ,"  reads 
as  follows :  "  We  declare  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
besides  the  dominion  which  belongs  to  hira  as  God,  has 
as  our  God-man  Mediator  a  twofold  dominion,  with 
which  he  has  been  invested  by  the  Father  as  the  re- 
ward of  his  sufferings.  These  are  a  dominion  over  the 
church,  of  which  he  is  the  living  Head  and  Lawgiver, 
and  the  source  of  all  that  divine  influence  and  author- 
ity by  which  she  is  sustained  and  governed;  and  also, 
a  dominion  over  all  created  persons  and  things,  which 
is  exercised  by  him  in  subserviency  to  the  manifesta- 
tions of  God's  glory  in  the  system  of  redemption,  and 
the  interests  of  his  church." 

The  doctrine  of  Christ's  headship  is  thus  stated  in 
the  Confession  of  Faith,  Chapter  VIIL,  Section  1 : 
"It  pleased  God  in  his  eternal  purpose  to  choose  and 


136  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

ordain  the  Lord  Jesus,  his  only  begotten  Son,  to  be 
the  Mediator  between  God  and  man ;  the  Prophet, 
Priest  and  King;  the  Head  and  Saviour  of  his 
church;  the  Heir  of  all  things,  and  Judge  of  the 
world." 

Christ  as  the  second  person  of  the  Trinity  has  a 
dominion  as  God ;  but  this  article  of  the  Testimony 
affirms  that  Christ,  as  Mediator,  has  a  twofold  domin- 
ion, distinct  in  some  respects  from  his  dominion  as 
God.  In  the  first  place,  it  is  affirmed  that  he  has 
dominion  over  his  church.  For  this  we  have  the  ex- 
press testimony  of  the  divine  word.  He  is  said  to  be 
the  "Head"  of  the  church.  He  calls  the  church  his 
"  kingdom."  The  angel  declared  that  he  should  "reign 
over  the  house  of  Jacob  forever."  Isaiah  says  that 
"the  government  shall  be  upon  his  shoulder."  Paul 
speaks  of  him  as  "a  son  over  his  own  house."  David 
sings  of  his  "  throne  "  and  "  sceptre."  It  is,  therefore, 
his  exclusive  prerogative  to  provide  for  the  preserva- 
tion and  perpetuation  of  his  church  ;  and  it  is  a  blas- 
phemous assumption  of  power,  and  a  direct  encroach- 
ment on  the  rights  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  for  any  man,  or 
any  body  of  men,  either  in  the  church  or  state,  to  claim 
or  exercise  a  legislative  power  in  relation  to  the  doc- 
trines, government,  discipline  or  worship  of  the  church. 
But  the  article  under  consideration  also  affirms  that 


THE   UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.     137 

Christ  Jesus  has  a  dominion  over  all  created  persons 
and  things.  The  proof  of  this  assertion  is  the  testimony 
of  Scripture.  All  power  is  given  uaito  Christ  in  heaven 
and  in  earth.  God  has  given  him  a  name  which  is 
above  every  name,  put  all  things  under  his  feet,  and 
left  nothing  which  is  not  put  under  him.  He  has 
given  him  power  over  all  flesh.  Jesus  has  the  keys 
of  hell  and  of  death.  His  dominion  over  all  things  is 
exercised  for  the  good  of  his  people  and  the  punishment 
of  his  enemies.  He  is  head  over  all  things,  "  to  the 
church ;"  he  has  power  over  all  flesh,  "that  he  should 
give  eternal  life  to  as  many  as  the  Father  gave  him," 
and  that  all  things  might  "  work  together  for  good 
to  them  that  love  God.''  Such  being  the  universal 
dominion  of  our  Lord  as  Mediator,  it  follows  that  all 
intelligent  beings,  angels,  kings,  magistrates,  and  men 
of  every  condition,  are  bound  to  acknowledge  his 
supremacy  in  their  respective  stations  and  relations. 

Article  XIII.,  "  Of  the  Supremacy  of  God's  Law," 
is :  "  We  declare  that  the  law  of  God,  as  written  upon 
the  heart  of  man,  and  as  set  forth  in  the  Scriptures  of 
the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  is  supreme  in  its  author- 
ity and  obligations ;  and  that  where  the  commands  of 
the  church  or  state  are  in  conflict  with  the  commands 
of  this  law,  we  are  to  obey  God  rather  than  man." 

This  declaration  is  in  accordance  with  the  Confes- 


138  UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN tSM. 

sion  of  Faith,  Ciiapter  I.,  Section  2:  "  Under  the  name 
of  the  holy  Scripture,  or  tlic  word  of  God  written,  are 
now  contained  all  the  books  of  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments,  all  which  are  given  by  inspiration  of  God 
to  be  the  rule  of  faith  and  practice/'  Also  Chapter 
XX.,  Section  2:  "God  alone  is  Lord  of  the  conscience, 
and  hath  left  it  free  from  the  doctrines  and  com- 
mandments of  men,  which  are  in  anything  contrary 
to  his  word,  or  beside  it  in  matters  of  faith  or  wor- 
ship." 

This  article  of  the  Testimony  is  so  manifestly  in 
accordance  with  the  word  of  God,  that  it  seems  to  be 
hardly  necessary  to  bring  forward  any  arguments  in  its 
defence;  yet  the  principle  which  it  embodies  has  been 
opposed  by  some,  and  lost  sight  of  by  many.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  the  powers  that  be,  both  in  church 
and  state,  are  ordained  of  God ;  therefore,  obedience  to 
civil  and  ecclesiastical  authority  is  a  duty.  Neverthe- 
less, there  is  a  limit  to  the  obedience.  The  authority 
must  be  lawful  in  itself  and  in  its  exercise,  or  resistance 
to  it  does  not  amount  to  resistance  to  the  ordinance  of 
God.  Even  if  it  is  unlawful,  open  and  violent  resist- 
ance may  not  be  a  duty,  for  it  is  sometimes  the  duty 
of  Christians  to  endure  wrong  and  submit  to  oppression. 
But  when  human  authority  requires  us  to  do  what  the 
law  of  God  forbids,  or  forbids  what  the  law  of  God 


THE   UNITED   PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.      I39 

requires,  it  is  to  be  disregarded,  let  the  consequences  be 
what  they  may.  Upon  this  principle  Daniel,  the  He- 
brew children  and  the  apostles  acted  with  the  divine 
approbation.  The  law  of  the  land  or  of  the  church  is 
no  reason  for  disobeying  the  commands  of  God,  for  we 
are  to  obey  God  rather  than  man. 

Article  XIV.,  "Of  Slaveholding/'  is:  "We  declare 
that  slaveholding,  that  is,  the  holding  of  unoffending 
human  beings  in  involuntary  bondage,  and  considering 
and  treating  them  as  property,  and  subject  to  be  bought 
and  sold,  is  a  violation  of  the  law  of  God,  and  contrary 
both  to  the  letter  and  spirit  of  Christianity." 

The  truth,  here  declared,  is  implied  in  the  Confes- 
sion of  Faith,  Chapter  lY.,  Section  2:  "After  God  had 
made  all  other  creatures,  he  created  man,  male  and 
female,  with  reasonable  and  immortal  souls,  endued 
with  knowledge,  righteousness  and  true  holiness,  after 
his  own  image,  having  the  law  of  God  written  in  their 
hearts,  and  power  to  fulfil  it." 

It  seems  useless  to  adduce  arguments  in  support  of 
this  article  of  the  Testimony,  for  the  logic  of  events 
has  demonstrated  its  truth.  It  might  now  be  dropped 
from  our  standards,  for  the  sin  against  which  it  testi- 
fies has  departed  from  our  land.  Around  this  article 
some  of  the  fiercest  battles  of  our  denomination  have 
been  fought.    It  seems  almost  incredible  that  less  thaa 


140  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

a  quarter  of  a  century  ago  there  were  those  in  the 
church  and  out  of  it  who  maintained  that  American 
slavery  was  in  harmony  with  the  letter  and  spirit  of 
Christianity;  and  that  the  United  Presbyterian  Church 
was  one  of  a  very  few  that  declared  that  slaveholding 
was  a  sin,  and  that  those  who  were  guilty  of  this  sin 
had  no  right  to  a  place  in  the  membership  of  the 
church.  It  may,  however,  be  of  interest  to  state 
briefly  the  arguments  by  which  this  article  of  the  Tes- 
timony was  defended  in  those  days  of  conflict;  for 
these  arguments  will  be  new  to  the  young,  and  they 
are  already  beginning  to  fade  from  the  memory  of 
those  of  mature  years,  (a)  The  word  of  God  repre- 
sents the  whole  human  family  as  made  of  "one  blood," 
and  as  possessing  a  common  nature.  This  being  the 
case,  the  natural  rights  of  all  men  are  the  same.  As 
slavery  deprives  some  of  their  natural  rights,  it  is  at 
war  with  humflnity.  (6)  The  word  of  God,  in  the 
grant  of  dominion  which  it  makes  to  man,  limits  his 
dominion  to  the  lower  creatures.  In  accordance  with 
this  grant,  man  may  make  the  lower  creatures  his 
property,  but  if  he  attempts  to  make  slaves  of  his 
fellow-men,  he  assumes  a  power  which  was  not  given 
him  by  the  Lord  of  all.  (c)  The  law  of  God  recog- 
nizes the  right  of  all  men  to  use  their  powers  of  body 
and  mind  in"  the  pursuit  of  happiness,  but  slavery  de- 


THE  UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.    141 

nies  some  the  exercise  of  this  right,  {d)  The  law  of 
God  requires  masters  to  give  to  their  servants  "  that 
which  is  just  and  equal/'  but  there  is  neither  justice 
nor  equality  in  what  the  slave  receives  from  the  slave- 
holder, (e)  The  law  of  God  recognizes  marriage  as  the 
right  of  all,  and  it  teaches  that  this  relation  is  indisso- 
luble by  man,  but  in  slavery  husband  and  wife  are 
separated  at  the  will  of  the  master.  (/)  The  law  of 
God  requires  parents  to  bring  up  their  children  in  the 
nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord,  but  the  parents 
of  slaves  are  prevented  from  performing  this  duty. 
[g)  The  law  of  God  commands  every  man  to  search  the 
Scriptures,  but  the  slaveholder  forbids  obedience  to 
this  command,  {h)  The  law  of  God  forbids  man- 
stealing,  but  in  slavery  one  man  makes  merchandise 
of  another.  These  considerations  show  that  slavehold- 
ing  is  contrary  to  the  word  of  God ;  and  against  this 
sin,  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  testified  in  those 
days  when  such  a  testimony  was  needed. 

Article  XY.,  "Of  Secret  Societies,"  is  in  the  follow- 
ing language:  "We  declare  that  all  associations, 
whether  formed  for  political  or  benevolent  purposes, 
which  impose  upon  their  members  an  oath  of  secrecy, 
or  an  obligation  to  obey  a  code  of  unknown  laws,  are 
inconsistent  with  the  genius  and  spirit  of  Christianity, 
and  church  members  ought  not  to  have  fellowship  with 
such  associations." 


142  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

This  article  is  in  accordance  with  the  Confession  of 
Faith,  Chapter  XXIT.,  Sections  1-3:  "A  lawful  oath 
is  a  part  of  religious  worship,  wherein  upon  just  occa- 
sion the  person  swearing  solemnly  calleth  upon  God  to 
witness  what  he  asserteth  or  promiseth;  and  to  judge 
him  according  to  the  truth  or  falsehood  of  what  he 
sweareth.  The  name  of  God  only  is  that  by  which  men 
ought  to  swear,  and  therein  it  is  to  be  used  with  all 
holy  fear  and  reverence;  therefore,  to  swear  vainly  or 
rashly  by  that  glorious  and  dreadful  name,  or  to  swear 
at  all  by  any  other  thing,  is  sinful  and  to  be  abhorred. 
Yet  in  matters  of  weiglit  and  moment,  an  oath  is  war- 
ranted by  the  word  of  God  under  the  New  Testament, 
as  well  as  under  the  Old ;  so  a  lawful  oath  being  im- 
posed by  lawful  authority  in  such  matters  ought  to  be 
taken.  Whosoever  taketh  an  oath  ought  duly  to  con- 
sider the  weightiness  of  so  solemn  an  act,  and  therein 
to  avouch  nothing  but  what  he  is  fully  persuaded  is 
the  truth.  Neither  may  any  man  bind  himself  by  oath 
to  anything  but  what  is  good  and  just,  and  what  he 
believeth  so  to  be,  and  what  he  is  able  and  resolved  to 
perform."  We  wnll  also  have  occasion  to  see  that  the 
teaching  of  some  of  the  secret  orders  is  in  conflict  with 
this  statement  of  the  Confession,  Chapter  XIV.,  Sec- 
tion 2:  ''But  the  principal  acts  of  saving  faith  are 
accepting,  receiving  and  resting  upon  Christ  alone  for 


THE   UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.     143 

justification,  sanctification  and  eternal  life,  by  virtue 
of  the  covenant  of  grace/' 

It  is  important  to  understand  clearly  what  is  ob- 
jected to  in  this  article  of  the  Testimony.  It  is  not 
the  oath;  for  the  oath  is  an  ordinance  of  God,  and  its 
administration  is  sometimes  proper  and  necessary.  It 
is  not  the  simple  fact  of  secrecy.  It  is  freely  admitted 
that  an  individual  may  become  acquainted  with  many 
things  which  it  would  be  improper  for  him  to  reveal. 
Wisdom  demands  that  some  business,  transacted  in 
societies,  corporations,  and  even  church  courts,  should 
be  kept  secret.  What,  then,  is  it  that  this  article  con- 
demns? It  is  the  administering  and  taking  of  an  oath 
to  keep  secret  matters  at  present  unknown,  and  to  obey 
laws  and  conform  to  principles  which  may  be  contrary 
to  the  revealed  will  of  God,  and  which  we  have  good 
reason  for  believing  are  inconsistent  with  the  divine 
law. 

There  are  many  secret  orders,  and  some  have  more 
laudable  objects,  more  solemn  obligations  and  more 
erroneous  doctrines  than  others.  Therefore,  all  are  not 
to  be  placed  on  precisely  the  same  level.  Those  who 
oppose  these  societies  believe  that  some  are  working 
greater  injury  and  are  worthy  of  severer  censure  than 
others.  The  orders  of  Freemasonry  and  Odd-Fellow- 
ship are  the  strongest ;   with  their  members  we  come 


144  UNITED  PRESBYTEBIANISM. 

most  frequently  into  contact;  their  doctrines  and  prac- 
tices seem  to  be  most  objectionable;  hence,  in  our 
remarks  we  will  refer  especially  to  them.  At  the  same 
time,  it  should  be  remembered  that  we  oppose  all  other 
associations,  against  which  the  same  objections  may  be 
urged. 

We  might  object  to  secret  societies  on  social  grounds, 
for  they  entice  men  away  from  their  families  and  en- 
tangle the  young  in  companionships  which  often  prove 
their  ruin;  on  political  grounds,  for  they  have  become 
a  great  power  in  local  and  general  politics;  and  on 
economical  grounds,  for  we  believe  it  can  be  demon- 
strated* that  the  money  paid  for  dues  and  other  ex- 
penses of  the  lodge  would  yield  a  far  larger  return  if 
invested  in  some  other  way.  We  might  bring  forward 
objections,  founded  on  the  administration  of  justice,  for 
if  the  testimony  of  credible  witnesses  is  to  l)e  believed, 
judges  and  juries  have  perverted  justice  because  of 
their  obligations  to  sympathize  with  and  help  their 
brethren  of  the  same  society.  We  might  base  objec- 
tions on  the  dignity  of  our  humanity,  for  the  regalia, 
parades  and  ceremonies  of  these  societies  seem  rather 
like  the  play  of  children  than  the  work  of  men.  Many 
other  objections  of  a  similar  kind  might  be  urged  with 
greater  or  less  force,  but  these  objections  belong  rather 
to  the  reformer,  the  statesman,  the  politician  and  the 


THE   UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.    145 

citizen.  The  Christian  must  have  some  higher  and 
stronger  reasons  than  these,  or  he  will  not  be  justified 
in  bringing  his  opposition  into  the  church.  Are  there 
such  higher  and  stronger  reasons  ?  We  believe  there 
are;  and  to  three  of  them  we  call  attention,  not  because 
they  stand  alone,  but  because  they  are  prominent  ones 
and  sufficient  for  the  present  purpose,  and  because  they 
in  some  measure  embrace  the  others. 

1 .  We  oppose  secret  societies  because  they  require  a 
profanation  of  the  or^dinance  of  the  oath.  That  some 
of  these  societies  impose  an  oath  upon  their  members 
will  not  be  denied.  The  candidate  takes  upon  himself 
an  obligation,  sometimes  in  the  form  of  an  oath,  and 
sometimes  in  the  form  of  a  solemn  promise,  adminis- 
tered to  him  by  the  officer  of  the  lodge,  and  binds 
himself  under  severe  penalties  to  do  certain  things. 
Now,  what  is  an  oath?  It  is  a  ^'declaration  or  prom- 
ise, made  by  calling  on  God  to  witness  what  is  said, 
with  an  invoking  of  his  vengeance,  or  a  renunciation 
of  his  favor,  in  case  of  falsehood."  According  to  the 
Confession  of  Faith,  which  we  assume  and  believe  to 
teach  the  truth  in  this  matter,  an  oath  is  to  be  admin- 
istered only  "upon  just  occasion;"  but  wherein  is 
there  any  sufficient  occasion  for  such  a  solemnity  in  so 
simple  a  thing  as  admitting  a  man  into  a  merely  human 

society?     According  to  the  same  authority,  an  oath  is 
10 


146  UNITED  PRESBYTEBIANISM, 

to  be  administered  "with  all  holy  fear  and  reverence." 
Though  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  there  is  a  lack 
of  reverence  in  the  administration  of  the  oath  in  our 
courts  of  justice,  it  is  to  be  feared  that  there  is  even 
less  of  reverence  in  the  lodge.  The  Confession  also 
asserts  that  the  oath  must  be  "  imposed  by  lawful  au- 
thority.^^ Such  lawful  authority  can  be  derived  only 
from  the  church  or  state;  but  the  lodge  is  neither  the 
one  nor  the  other.  The  Confession  further  says  that 
whoever  takes  an  oath  should  "avouch  nothing  but 
what  he  is  fully  persuaded  is  the  truth,"  but  how  can 
a  man  be  fully  persuaded  of  the  truth  of  laws,  princi- 
ples and  acts  of  which  he  knows  nothing?  If  this  is  a 
correct  exhibition  of  the  teaching  of  the  Scriptures 
respecting  the  oath,  it  is  evident  that  the  administra- 
tion of  the  oath  by  any  merely  human  society  is  a 
profanation  of  the  ordinance.  It  is  asserted  by  some, 
who  claim  to  know,  that  the  oaths  of  some  secret  orders 
contain  such  sentences  as  these :  "  Whether  right  or 
wrong;"  "treason  and  murder  not  excepted;"  and 
that  they  bind  the  persons  taking  them  to  do  anything 
required  of  them  by  the  society  to  which  they  belong ; 
but  the  argument  under  consideration  does  not  rest 
upon  the  truth  of  these  assertions.  Admitting  these 
charges  to  be  untrue,  the  administration  of  an  oath 
without  sufficient  occasion,  without  reverence,  by  un- 


THE   UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.    147 

lawful  authority,  and  without  a  firm  persuasion  of 
the  truth,  is  a  profanation  of  this  ordinance  of  God. 

If  the  pledge  given  is  a  solemn  promise,  and  not  a 
formal  oath,  there  are  objections  to  it  of  but  little  less 
weight  than  those  which  have  been  urged  against  the 
oath.  Such  an  obligation  is  inconsistent  with  subjec- 
tion to  the  law  of  God.  This  law  is  the  supreme 
standard.  When  a  man  promises  to  keep  secret  the 
unknown  transactions  of  any  society,  he  does  not  know 
but  that  the  law  of  God  will  require  him  to  reveal 
them.  When  he  binds  himself  to  support  principles 
with  which  he  has  not  been  made  acquainted,  he  does 
not  know  but  that  the  law  of  God  may  bind  him  to 
oppose  them.  AVhen  he  ])]edges  himself  to  obey  a 
system  of  unknown  laws,  he  does  not  know  but  that 
this  system  may  be  in  conflict  with  the  law  of  God. 
Therefore,  in  giving  such  a  promise,  he  promises  to 
do  that  which  may  involve  him  in  sin.  Such  an  ob- 
ligation is  also  enslaving  to  the  conscience.  •  God  alone 
is  Lord  of  the  conscience.  But  to  promise  to  obey  a 
code  of  unknown  human  laws,  whatever  may  be  its 
character,  is  doing  violence  to  the  freedom  of  the  con- 
science. It  is  a  deliberate  renunciation  of  the  God- 
given  right  of  private  judgment.  It  is  making  our- 
selves the  servants  of  men. 

This  is  one  reason  for  believing  that  secret  societies 


148  UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  ISM 

"  are  inconsistent  with  the  genius  and  spirit  of  Chris- 
tianity." If  they  impose  an  oath  upon  their  members, 
they  profane  an  ordinance  of  God.  If  they  require  a 
solemn  promise  concerning  things  which  are  unknown, 
they  require  that  which  is  inconsistent  with  subjection 
to  the  law  of  God,  and  enslaving  to  the  conscience. 

2.  We  oppose  secret  societies  because  they  despise  the 
church  of  God.  It  is  asserted  by  those  who  believe  in 
the  wisdom  and  value  of  these  societies  that  they  are 
intended  and  employed  to  accomplish  certain  good 
ends.  It  is  claimed  that  they  are  designed  to  promote, 
and  that  they  do  promote,  love,  benevolence  and 
morality.  The  correctness  of  this  claim  might  be  dis- 
puted. It  might  be  said  that  their  brotherly  love  is 
restricted  in  its  exercise,  for  they  will  not  receive  into 
their  membership  sick  and  infirm  men,  or  helpless 
women  ;  that  their  benevolence  is  no  greater  than  that 
of  life  insurance  companies,  for  they  give  only  to  those 
who  contribute  to  their  funds;  and  that  their  success 
in  teaching  morality  is  not  very  marked,  for  the  com- 
panions and  associations  of  the  lodge  have  ruined  many. 
But  let  us  grant  that  everything  which  the  advocates 
of  these  orders  claim  for  them  is  true;  let  us  admit 
that  these  societies  do  promote  brotherly  love,  increase 
benevolence  and  cultivate  morality.  These  are  among 
the  things  which   God  designed  to  accomplish  by  the 


THE   UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH.     149 

church  which  he  has  established  in  the  world.  He  has 
commanded  its  members  to  love  one  another,  to  assist 
the  poor,  not  only  of  their"  own  number,  but  through- 
out the  world,  as  they  may  have  opportunity,  and  to 
live  lives  of  holiness.  K^o  one  who  is  acquainted  with 
the  teaching  of  the  Scriptures  will  question  the  truth 
of  these  statements.  If  this  is  so,  what  is  the  meaning 
of  the  conduct  of  those  who  establish  and  maintain  hu- 
man societies  to  do  that  which  God  intended  to  be  done 
by  his  church?  It  is  an  open  declaration  that  they  are 
wiser  than  God;  that  the  church  cannot  accomplish 
what  it  was  intended  to  accomplish ;  and  that,  instead 
of  establishing  a  church  with  its  constitution,  officers 
and  ordinances,  God  should  have  established  a  lodge 
with  its  rites  and  ceremonies.  This  is  despising  the 
church ;  for  those  who  refuse  to  connect  themselves 
with  the  church,  who  neglect  or  profane  its  ordinances, 
and  who  try  to  accomplish  in  any  other  way  what  God 
intended  to  be  accomplished  by  his  church,  are  all 
guilty  of  this  sin.  That  it  is  a  sin,  and  an  aggravated 
sin,  to  despise  the  church,  no  one  who  believes  in  its 
divine  appointment  will  deny.  And  because  secret  so- 
cieties claim  to  do  that  which  God  intended  to  be  done 
by  his  church,  we  maintain  that  they  ''are  inconsistent 
with  the  genius  and  spirit  of  Christianity,"  for  in  this 
claim  they  despise  the  church  and  its  King  and  Head. 


150  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

3.  We  oppose  secret  societies  because  they  teach  a 
false  religion.  This  is  a  serious  charge,  and  if  it  can 
be  proven,  no  consistent  Clu'istian  will  have  anything 
to  do  with  these  societies.  What  is  true  religion  ?  Its 
fundamental  doctrines  are  these  :  there  is  a  God  ;  men 
are  sinners ;  there  is  but  one  Mediator  between  God 
and  man,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  there  is  a  place  of 
future  rewards;  the  only  way  of  reconciliation  with 
God  and  of  securing  everlasting  happiness  is  by  faith 
in  Christ.  On  these  points  all  who  believe  the  revela- 
tions of  the  Bible  are  agreed.  Any  system  of  religion 
which  omits  one  of  these  fundamental  principles,  or 
teaches  a  doctrine  contrary  to  one  of  these  fundamental 
principles,  must  be  a  false  religion. 

Does  any  secret  order  teach  religion  ?  If  so,  does 
any  one  teach  a  false  religion?  In  attempting  to 
answer  these  questions,  we  must  make  our  appeal  to 
recognized  authorities.  It  will  not  do  to  rest  our  an- 
swer upon  the  testimony  of  individual  members,  for 
they  may  be  ignorant  or  mistaken.  In  determining, 
for  example,  what  are  the  principles  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  Church,  we  must  appeal,  not  to  the  be- 
lief and  practice  of  individuals,  but  to  the  acknowledged 
standards.  Now,  there  are  recognized  authorities  in 
these  secret  orders.  There  are  books  which  have  re- 
ceived the  endorsement  of  these  societies,  which  lay 


THE   UNITED   PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH.      151 

down  their  principles,  and  which  can  be  purchased  by 
any  one  who  desires.  Among  these  books  are  Webb's 
Freemason's  Monitor,  Carson's  Monitor  of  the  An- 
cient and  Accepted  Rite,  Mackey's  Manual  of  the 
Lodge,  Grosch^s  Manual  of  Odd-Fellowship,  Town's 
System  of  Speculative  Masonry,  Sickles'  Ahiman 
Rezon,  etc. 

Appealing  to  these  recognized  standards,  let  us 
attempt  to  answer  the  question,  do  these  secret  societies 
teach  religion?  We  read  of  altars;  and  altars  are 
peculiar  to  religion.  Their  presence  in  any  institution 
is  evidence  of  its  religious  character.  We  read  of  chap- 
lains, grand  chaplains,  right  worthy  grand  chaplains ; 
of  priests,  high  priests,  most  excellent  high  priests;  of 
prelates  and  most  excellent  prelates.  All  these  are 
religious  officers,  and  it  is  their  special  business  to 
attend  to  matters  of  religion.  We,  therefore,  infer 
that  these  societies  teach  religion;  for  if  not,  what 
room  would  there  be  in  them  for  altars,  priests  and 
prelates?  But  we  are  not  left  to  inference.  The 
acknowledged  authorities,  already  referred  to,  speak 
plainly  on  this  point.  "  The  meeting  of  a  Masonic 
lodge  is  strictly  a  religious  ceremony,'^  Webb's  I^exi- 
con,  page  -357.  "As  morality  is  the  great  doctrine 
of  the  apprentice,  and  science  the  great  purpose  of  the 
craft,  so  religion,  of  a  broad  and  universal  character. 


152  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM, 

is  the  prime  inculcation  of  the  master's  degree," 
Webb's  Lexicon,  page  344.  "All  our  regulations  as- 
sume, as  a  foundation  that  cannot  be  moved,  a  belief 
in  the  being  of  a  God,  and  a  future  state  of  rewards 
and  punishments,  and  cultivate  the  necessity  of  moral 
purity  as  a  qualification  for  future  happiness ;  and  this, 
according  to  our  definitions,  forms  the  sum  and  sub- 
stance of  religion  in  its  most  universal  acceptation," 
Mackey's  Mystic  Tie,  page  85.  "  The  explanations 
of  the  symbols  of  the  order,  given  in  this  degree,  are, 
worthy  of  your  attention  and  remembrance;  especially 
as  presented  in  three  great  divisions,  teaching  our  duty 
to  God,  to  our  fellow-men  and  to  ourselves,"  Grosch's 
Manual,  page  369.  "  The  right  of  induction,  there- 
fore, signifies  the  end  of  a  profane  and  vicious  life,  the 
new  birth  of  corrupted  human  nature,  the  death  of  vice 
and  all  bad  passions,  and  the  introduction  into  the  new 
life  of  purity  and  virtue.  It  also  prepares  the  candi- 
date, by  prayer  and  meditation,  for  that  mystic  pilgrim- 
age, where  he  must  wander  through  night  and  dark- 
ness, before  he  can  behold  the  golden  splendors  of  the 
Orient,  and  stand  in  unfettered  freedom  among  the 
sons  of  light,"  Sickles'  Ahiman  Rezon,  page  54. 
"AVe  now  behold  man  complete  in  morality  and  intel- 
ligence, with  the  stay  of  religion  added  to  insure  him 
of  the  protection  of  the  Deity,  and  guard  him  against 


THE   UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.     153 

ever  going  astray.  These  three  degrees  form  a  per- 
fect and  harmonious  whole,  nor  can  we  conceive  of  any- 
thing that  can  be  suggested  more,  which  the  soul  of 
man  requires,"  Sickles'  Ahiman  Rezon,  page  188. 
^'  In  advancing  to  the  fourth  degree,  the  Mason  is 
assured  of  his  election  and  final  salvation.  Hence 
opens  the  fifth  degree,  where  he  discovers  his  election 
to,  and  his  glorified  station  in,  the  kingdom  of  his 
Father,"  Town's  System,  page  170.  "Masonry  is 
a  religious  institution.  The  Mason  on  the  night  of 
his  initiation  commences  the  great  task  which,  in  his  fu- 
ture Masonic  life,  is  never  to  be  discontinued,  of  erect- 
ing in  his  heart  a  spiritual  temple  for  the  indwelling 
of  God,"  Mackey's  Manual,  pages  40,  41. 

It  is  evident  from  these  quotations  that  these  socie- 
ties teach  religion.  What  is  the  religion  taught  by 
them?  Is  it  true  or  false?  It  is  a  religion  whioh 
ignores  and  denies  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  In  proof 
of  this  assertion,  we  appeal  again  to  the  testimony  of 
acknowledged  authorities.  It  is  the  boast  of  these 
orders  that  in  them  men  of  all  nations  and  religions 
can  meet  on  the  same  level,  and  unite  in  the  same  wor- 
ship. Both  Webb  and  Sickles  say  that,  in  the  lodge, 
"the  distant  Chinese,  the  wild  Arab  and  the  American 
savage  will  embrace  a  brother  Briton,  Frank  or  Ger- 
man."    What  is  the  religion  of  such  a  brotherhood  as 


154  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

this  ?  "Though  in  ancient  times  Masons  were  charged 
in  every  country  to  be  of  the  religion  of  that  country 
or  nation,  whatever  it  was,  it  is  now  thought  more  ex- 
pedient only  to  oblige  them  to  that  religion  in  which 
all  men  agree,''  Mackey's  Manual,  page  216.  Evi- 
dently, that  religion  "  in  which  all  men  agree"  cannot 
be  the  Christian  religion.  The  lodge  must  ignore  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  or  the  Jew  and  the  Mahometan 
could  not  unite  in  its  worship.  "  The  descendants  of 
Abraham,  the  diverse  followers  of  Jesus,  the  pariahs 
of  the  stricter  sects,  are  gathered  around  the  same  altar 
as  one  family,  manifesting  no  difference  of  creed  or 
worship;  they  have  Ifeft  their  prejudices  at  the  door/' 
Grosch's  Manual,  page  285.  "A  belief  in  God  con- 
stitutes the  sole  creed  of  the  Mason,  at  least  the  only 
creed  he  is  required  to  profess,"  Mackey's  Manual, 
page  40.  Accordingly,  in  the  prayers  and  hymns, 
which  are  given  in  their  rituals  of  worship,  the  name 
of  the  Saviour  is  omitted.  How  can  any  Christian 
unite  in  such  prayers,  inasmuch  as  Jesus  himself  has 
said,  "  No  man  cometh  to  the  Father,  but  by  me  ? " 
The  name  of  Christ  is  also  expunged  from  the  selections 
of  Scripture  which  are  read  in  the  lodge.  It  is  written 
in  the  word,  "  Whatsoever  ye  do  in  word  or  deed,  do 
all  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  giving  thanks  unto 
God  and  the  Father  by  him."     Therefore,  those  insti- 


THE   UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.    155 

tutions  which  boast  of  their  religion  and  worship  in 
which  all  men  can  agree,  and  which  ignore  the  Saviour 
in  their  prayers  and  other  religious  exercises,  teach  a 
false  religion,  for  it  is  a  religion  which  denies  the  only 
Mediator  between  God  and  man. 

These  societies  also  teach  that  salvation  is  secured  by 
good  works.  "  White  is  emblematic  of  that  purity  of 
life  and  rectitude  of  conduct  by  which  alone  we  may 
expect  to  gain  admission  into  the  Holy  of  Holies 
above,''  Sickles'  Ahiman  Rezon,  page  63.  "  We  may 
be  received  into  thine  everlasting  kingdom,  and  there 
enjoy  the  just  reward  of  a  pious  and  virtuous  life," 
Mackey's  Manual,  page  203.  *'The  Divine  Being 
views  no  moral  character  in  a  man  with  greater  com- 
placency than  his  who,  in  heart,  strictly  conforms  to 
Masonic  requirements,"  Town's  System,  page  184. 
And  in  the  burial  service,  the  members  of  these  socie- 
ties, no  matter  what  their  faith  may  have  been,  are 
spoken  of  as  "transferred  by  death  from  their  work  in 
this  lodge  and  life  to  the  lodge  and  life  above."  In  all 
these  authorities,  repentance  towards  God,  faith  in  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  the  sanctification  of  the  Spirit, 
are  not  so  much  as  hinted  at  as  needful  to  salvation. 
But  the  word  of  God  asserts  that  men  are  justified  by 
faith,  and  not  by  the  deeds  of  the  law.  Therefore,  that 
religion  which  teaches  that  salvation  i^  by  works,  and 


156  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

"the  just  reward  of  a  pious  and  virtuous  life/'  is  a 
false  religion. 

For  these  reasons,  among  others,  the  United  Pres- 
byterian Church  testifies  that  these  secret  societies  "are 
inconsistent  with  the  genius  and  spirit  of  Christianity," 
and  that  church  members  ought  not  to  have  fellowship 
with  them. 

Article  XVI.,  "Of  Communion,''  is:  "We  declare 
that  the  church  should  not' extend  communion,  in  seal- 
ing ordinances,  to  those  who  refuse  adherence  to  her 
profession,  or  subjection  to  her  government  and  disci- 
pline, or  who  refuse  to  forsake  a  communion  which  is 
inconsistent  with  the  profession  that  she  makes ;  nor 
should  communion  in  any  ordinance  of  worship  be  held 
under  such  circumstances  as  would  be  inconsistent  with 
the  keeping  of  these  ordinances  pure  and  entire,  or  so 
as  to  give  countenance  to  any  corruption  of  the  doc- 
trines and  institutions  of  Christ." 

The  teaching  of  the  Confession  of  Faith  on  this 
subject  is  as  follows,  Chapter  XXYI.,  Sections  1,  2 : 
"All  saints  that  are  united  to  Jesus  Christ  their  head 
by  his  Spirit  and  by  faith,  have  fellowship  with  him 
in  his  graces,  sufferings,  death,  resurrection  and  glory. 
And  being  united  to  one  another  in  love,  they  have 
communion  in  each  other's  gifts  and  graces,  and  are 
obliged  to  the  performance  of  such  duties,  public  and 


THE   UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.     157 

private,  as  do  conduce  to  their  mutual  good,  both  in 
the  inward  and  outward  man.  Saints,  by  profession, 
are  bound  to  maintain  a  holy  fellowship  and  commu- 
nion in  the  worship  of  God,  and  in  performing  such 
other  spiritual  services  as  tend  to  their  mutual  edifica- 
tion, as  also  relieving  each  other  in  outward  things, 
according  to  their  several  abilities  and  necessities. 
Which  communion,  as  God  offereth  opportunity,  is  to 
be  extended  unto  all  those  who  in  every  place  call  upon 
the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus." 

This  article  of  the  Testimony  has  two  parts.  The 
first  has  reference  to  communion  in  sealing  ordinances; 
the  second  has  reference  to  communion  in  all  the  ordi- 
nances  of  worship.  These  two  parts  will  be  considered 
separately. 

It  is  to  be  observed  that  the  Confession  does  not 
answer  directly  the  question,  Who  are  to  be  admitted 
to  the  sealing  ordinances  of  the  church  ?  It  is  not 
speaking  distinctly  of  communion  in  sealing  ordinances, 
but  of  the  general  subject  of  the  communion  of  the 
saints,  which  includes  all  their  mutual  duties,  such  as 
the  relieving  of  "each  other  in  outward  things,  ac- 
cording to  their  several  abilities  and  necessities."  It 
states  the  great  doctrine  that  Christians  in  different 
lands  should  cultivate  towards  each  other  a  holy 
fellowship,  and    not  suffer    their   mutual    love    to  be 


158  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM, 

restricted  by  geographical  boundaries  or  national  dis- 
tinctions. It  certainly  is  true  that  fellowship  in  seal- 
ing ordinances  is  a  part  of  the  communion  of  the 
saints;  but  in  interpreting  the  language  of  the  Confes- 
sion of  Faith,  we  must  take  into  consideration  the 
design  of  the  Assembly  that  framed  it.  That  design 
was  confessedly  to  effect,  in  the  three  kingdoms,  a  uni- 
formity in  doctrine,  worship  and  government.  It  was 
hoped  that  all  the  churches  represented  in  the  West- 
minster Assembly  would  be  brought  together  into  one 
church.  This  hope  gave  color  to  the  declarations  of 
the  Confession.  The  chapter  on  "The  Communion 
of  the  Saints  "  did  not  anticipate  different  denomina- 
tions, holding  to  different  creeds,  but  a  united  church. 
Therefore,  since  the  circumstances  of  the  church  are 
very  different  from  what  the  Westminster  divines  ex- 
pected, it  is  necessary  to  give  a  more  clear  and  explicit 
answer  than  they  did  to  the  question,  Who  are  to  be 
admitted  to  sealing  ordinances  in  the  church?  The 
answer  of  our  Testimony  to  this  question  is,  in  sub- 
stance, this :  The  church  should  extend  such  communion 
only  to  those  who  adhere  to  its  profession  and  are  sub- 
ject to  its  government.  We  believe  this  answer  to  be 
in  accordance  with  the  statements  of  the  Confession, 
already  quoted.  While  holy  fellowship  should  be 
cultivated  and  practised  with  all  believers,  communion 


THE   UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.     159 

in  sealing  ordinances  should  be  restricted  to  those  who 
agree  in  doctrine,  worship  and  government,  for  such 
agreement  was  contemplated  and  designed  by  those 
who  prepared  the  Confession  of  Faith. 

The  sealing  ordinances  of  the  New  Testament  church 
are  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper.  They  are  called 
sealing  ordinances  because  they  seal  the  benefits,  pur- 
chased by  Christ,  to  true  believers.  As  a  seal  affixed 
to  a  deed  is  an  evidence  of  its  authenticity,  so  these 
ordinances  are  an  evidence  that  those  who  partake  of 
them  have  a  right  to  the  blessings  of  the  covenant  of 
grace.  Some  churches  invite  all  persons  who  believe 
themselves  to  be  Christians  to  commune  with  them  in 
the  sealing  ordinance  of  the  Lord's  Supper;  others  in- 
vite all  who  know  themselves  to  be  members  of  evan- 
gelical churches,  in  good  and  regular  standing.  In 
opposition  to  these  latitudinarian  views,  our  Testimony 
asserts  that  the  church  should  not  extend  communion 
in  sealing  ordinances  to  those  who  refuse  adherence  to 
its  profession  or  subjection  to  its  authority;  in  other 
words,  to  those  who  are  not  its  members.  Several 
reasons  might  be  assigned  in  support  of  the  correctness 
of  this  position,  but  we  will  select  two,  which  are  easily 
understood,  and  which  will  show  that  this  article  of 
the  Testimony  rests  on  a  substantial  foundation. 

The  responsibility  of  the  Session  to  the  King  and 


160  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

Head  of  the  church  requires  that  communion  in  sealing 
ordinances  be  restricted  to  those  whom  they  know  and 
who  are  under  their  jurisdiction.  It  is  now  taken  for 
granted  that  the  Presbyterian  form  of  church  govern-, 
ment  is  "agreeable  to  and  founded  on  the  word  of 
God/'  and  that  the  Session  is  a  divinely  appointed  court 
in  the  Presbyterian  order.  What  is  the  duty  of  Ses- 
sions ?  They  are  charged  with  the  government  of  the 
congregations;  it  belongs  to  them  to  inquire  into  the 
knowledge,  character  and  conduct  of  the  members,  to 
exercise  discipline  when  it  is  heeded,  and  to  promote 
the  good  order  and  purity  of  the  church.  If  they  do 
not  do  this,  the  Saviour,  whose  officers  they  are,  will 
hold  them  responsible  for  the  injury  and  dishonor 
which  their  ignorance  and  carelessness  may  bring  upon 
the  church.  How  can  they  do  this,  if  they  do  not 
know  who  are  admitted  to  sealing  ordinances?  How 
can  they  do  this,  if  they  admit  to  these  ordinances 
those  who  are  not  under  their  jurisdiction,  and  on 
whom  they  can  exercise  no  discipline  ?  Therefore, 
every  Session  must  say  to  those  who  are  not  members 
of  their  congregation.  We  do  not  deny  your  Chris- 
tianity ;  but  you  are  strangers  to  us,  and  we  have  no 
authority  to  inquire  into  the  correctness  of  your  faith 
and  the  holiness  of  your  life;  and  the  solemn  obliga- 
tions we  have  taken  to  maintain  the  order  and  purity 


THE   UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.     161 

of  the  church  will  not  suffer  us  to  permit  you,  on  your 
own  responsibility,  to  take  part  in  these  sealing  ordi- 
nances. Of  course,  every  man  is  responsible  to  God 
for  his  faith  and  practice;  but  the  Session  is  also  re- 
sponsible for  the  faith  and  practice  of  those  whom  they 
admit  to  the  place  of  disciples.  If  the  individual  alone 
was  responsible,  there  would  be  no  use  for  a  Session. 
But  Sessions  have  a  responsibility  in  this  matter  which 
cannot  be  laid  aside ;  and,  because  of  their  responsi- 
bility, they  ought  not  to  extend  communion  in  sealing 
ordinances  to  any  one  whose  life  and  faith  are  un- 
known to  them,  and  who  is  not  subject  to  their  spir- 
itual authority. 

The  proper  exercise  of  necessary  discipline  requires 
the  same  restriction.  That  the  exercise  of  discipline 
is  a  part  of  the  duty  of  the  church,  no  believer  in  the 
New  Testament  will  deny.  Every  church  finds  it 
necessary  to  arraign,  try  and  sentence  its  unworthy 
members.  To  do  this  in  a  particular  congregation  is, 
according  to  Presbyterian  polity,  the  province  of  the 
Session  of  that  congregation.  But  a  Session  has  no 
power  to  fine  or  imprison  offenders;  all  ifc  can  do  is  to 
suspend  or  excommunicate  them,  and  thus  refuse  to 
extend  to  them  communion  in  sealing  ordinances. 
Now,  if  a  Session  permits  any  one,  on  his  own  respon- 
sibility, to  partake  of  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord^s 
11 


162  UNITED  PBESBYTERIANISM. 

Supper,  how  can  its  discipline  be  enforced  ?  Instances 
like  the  following  have  occurred :  Men  have  been  sus- 
pended in  one  congregation  for  error  in  doctrine  or 
immorality  in  life;  they  have  immediately  united  with 
some  other  congregation,  less  strict  in  faith  and  prac- 
tice; and  then  they  have  returned  and  communed  with 
the  congregation  from  whose  membership  they  had 
been  suspended.  Tlie  Session  of  the  first  congregation 
inflicted  the  censure  of  the  church  upon  tliese  men,  but 
its  loose  views  on  the  subject  of  communion  made  its 
discipline  of  no  effect.  It  said  that  these  men  were  not 
worthy  members  of  the  church,  but  it  could  not  keep 
them  from  the  sealing  ordinances;  it  could  not  enforce 
its  own  sentence.  No  Session  can  exercise  such  disci- 
pline as  the  word  of  God  requires,  unless  it  restricts 
communion  in  sealing  ordinances  to  those  who  are 
under  its  jurisdiction. 

For  these  reasons,  among  others,  we  declare  that 
"the  church  should  not  extend  communion  in  sealing 
ordinances  to  those  who  refuse  adherence  to  its  profes- 
sion, or  subjection  to  its  government  and  discipline,  or 
who  refuse  to  forsake  a  communion  which  is  incon- 
sistent with  the  profession  that  it  makes.''  To  this 
general  rule  there  may  be  exceptions.  Members  of 
other  congregations  in  the  same  denomination,  or  of 
congregations  in  a  different  denomination,  may  be  kept 


THE   UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.    163 

for  a  time  by  the  providence  of  God  within  the  bounds 
of  some  congregation,  and  may  regularly  worship  with 
it.  They  may  feel  that  it  is  a  duty  and  privilege  to 
unite  with  it  in  the  observance  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 
If  so,  they  should  make  their  case  known  to  the  Session 
of  that  congregation;  and  that  Session,  if  convinced  of 
the  sincerity  of  their  motives,  the  uprightness  of  their 
life  and  the  reality  of  their  profession,  may  extend  to 
them  the  desired  privilege.  Every  such  case  must  be 
decided  upon  its  own  merits.  Sessions  must  exercise 
their  discretion,  and  be  responsible  to  the  church  and 
its  Lord  for  the  manner  in  which  they  exercise  it. 
This  is  in  accordance  with  the  deliverance  of  the 
highest  court  of  the  church.  In  1868  a  memorial  was 
presented  to  the  General  Assembly,  asking  certain 
modifications  in  the  Sixteenth  Article  of  the  Testimony, 
"so  as  to  concede  to  Sessions  the  authority  of  applying 
the  principles  of  it  as  their  own  discretion  may  direct." 
In  answer  to  this  memorial,  the  Assembly  took  the 
following  action:  "This  authority  Sessions  already 
possess.  It  is  supposed  that  Sessions  are  composed  of 
men  of  understanding,  and  that  they  are  acquainted 
with  the  principles  which  they  have  embraced;  and 
they  must,  of  course,  exercise  their  discretion  in  the 
application  of  these  principles  as  cases  may  occur. 
Sessions,  of  course,  are  responsible  for  the  manner  in 


164  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

which  they  exercise  this  discretion;  but  the  right  to 
exercise  it  is  unquestionable.  .  .  .  The  Sixteenth 
Article  of  our  Testimony  lays  down  the  general  rule 
on  the  subject  of  communion  by  which  the  church  is 
to  be  governed  in  all  ordinary  cases.  It  was  not  de- 
signed to  make  provision  for  cases  of  an  extraordinary 
nature.  When  cases  of  this  kind  occur,  Sessions,  in 
the  exercise  of  a  wise  discretion,  must  dispose  of  them 
as  may  be  for  the  peace  and  edification  of  the 
church.'' 

The  second  part  of  the  article  of  the  Testimony 
under  discussion  refers  to  communion  in  the  ordi- 
nances of  worship,  whether  sealing  or  not,  and  forbids 
such  communion  in  any  circumstances  which  would  be 
inconsistent  with  the  keeping  of  these  ordinances  pure 
and  entire.  Some  deny  the  deity  of  the  Lord  Jesus ; 
and  to  commune  with  them  in  any  act  of  worship 
would  be  a  denial  of  him  through  whom  alone  we  can 
come  to  the  Father,  and  a  partaking  of  their  sin. 
Some,  who  claim  the  Christian  name,  pray  to  images; 
and  to  commune  with  them  in  their  prayers  would  be 
to  give  countenance  to  idolatry.  Some  preach  errors 
in  doctrine ;  and  to  listen  to  their  teaching  gives  coun- 
tenance to  their  error,  and  endangers  our  own  souls. 
Against  such  fellowship  as  this  the  church  testifies  in 
the  article  before  us.     Such  testimony  is  manifestly 


THE  UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.    165 

right.  Christ  has  taught  certain  doctrines  and  ap- 
pointed certain  institutions ;  and  if  we  do  anything  to 
corrupt  these  doctrines  and  institutions,  or  to  encourage 
those  who  corrupt  them,  we  are  not  faithful  to  the 
Master  whom  we  profess  to  serve,  or  to  the  church 
whose  principles  we  believe  to  be  founded  on  the  re- 
vealed will  of  God. 

This  is  the  teaching  of  the  Testimony  on  the  subject 
of  the  communion  of  the  saints.  While  we  believe 
that  all  Christians  should  cultivate  toward  each  other 
a  holy  fellowship  in  such  spiritual  and  temporal  ser- 
vices as  tend  to  their  mutual  edification,  we  also 
believe  that  communion  in  sealing  ordinances  should, 
in  ordinary  cases,  be  extended  only  to  those  who  are 
members  of  the  congregation  in  which  they  are  ob- 
served, and  that  communion  in  any  ordinance  of  wor- 
ship should  never  be  extended  in  circumstances  which 
would  give  countenance  to  any  corruption  of  the  ordi- 
nances and  institutions  of  Christ. 

Article  XVII.,  "Of  Covenanting,"  is:  "We declare 
that  public  social  covenanting  is  a  moral  duty,  the 
observance  of  which  is  not  required  at  stated  times,  but 
on  extraordinary  occasions,  as  the  providence  of  God 
and  the  circumstances  of  the  church  may  indicate.  It 
is  seasonable  in  time  of  great  danger  to  the  church,  in 
times  of  exposure  to  backsliding,  or  in  times  of  refor- 


166  UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  ISM. 

mation,  when  the  church  is  returning  to  God  from  a 
state  of  backsliding.  When  the  church  has  entered 
into  such  covenant  transactions,  they  continue  to  bind 
posterity  faithfully  to  adliere  to  and  prosecute  the 
grand  object  for  which  such  engagements  have  been 
entered  into." 

This  declaration  is  in  harmony  with  the  Confession 
of  Faith,  Chapter  XXII.,  Sections  5-7 :  "A  vow  is 
of  a  like  nature  of  a  promissory  oath,  and  ought  to  be 
made  with  the  like  religious  care,  and  to  be  performed 
with  the  like  faithfulness.  It  is  not  to  be  made  to 
any  creature,  but  to  God  alone;  and,  that  it  may  be 
accepted,  it  is  to  be  made  voluntarily,  out  of  faith,  and 
conscience  of  duty,  in  way  of  thankfulness  for  mercy 
received,  or  for  the  obtaining  of  what  we  want; 
whereby  we  may  more  strictly  bind  ourselves  to  neces- 
sary duties,  or  to  other  things,  so  far  and  so  long  as 
they  may  fitly  conduce  thereto.  No  man  may  vow  to 
do  anything  forbidden  in  the  word  of  God,  or  what 
would  hinder  any  duty  therein  commanded,  or  which 
is  not  in  his  own  power,  and  for  the  performance 
whereof  he  hath  no  promise  or  ability  from  God." 

When  believers  unite  with  the  church,  they  enter 
into  a  public  covenant  with  God.  God  says  to  them, 
"I  will  be  to  them  a  God,  and  they  shall  be  to  me  a 
people;  "  they  take  God  as  their  God,  and  promise  to 


THE    UNITED   PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.     167 

perform  those  duties  which  are  enjoined  on  them  in 
his  word.  In  addition  to  this,  the  Scriptures  authorize 
the  church  to  enter  into  covenant  with  God  on  special 
occasions,  by  a  formal  and  solemn  deed.  Again  and 
again,  the  Old  Testament  church,  with  the  approbation 
of  God,  "  made  a  covenant  before  the  Lord  to  w^alk 
after  the  Lord,  and  to  keep  his  commandments,  his 
testimonies  and  his  statutes,  with  all  their  heart  and 
with  all  their  soul."  We  learn  from  these  examples 
that  the  duty  of  covenanting  is  not  a  stated,  but  an 
extraordinary  one.  It  is  to  be  performed  only  in  pe- 
culiar circumstances.  God's  people  are  called  to  it  in 
times  of  special  danger,  or  of  unusual  awakening  and 
reformation.  When  the  providences  of  God  lead  a  con- 
gregation or  a  church  to  engage  in  this  solemn  duty, 
the  covenant  into  which  they  enter  is,  in  some  respects, 
binding  on  posterity.  This  is  evident  from  the  divine 
dealings  with  the  children  of  Israel,  Avho  are  repeatedly 
charged  with  breaking  the  covenant  which  had  been 
made  with  their  fathers.  The  principle  here  recognized 
is  not  peculiar  to  covenanting.  It  is  acted  on  in  all 
corporate  or  organized  bodies,  whether  civil  or  eccle- 
siastical. An  act  of  any  society  is  not  annulled  by  the 
death  of  the  members  who  originally  passed  it ;  the  act 
remains  in  force  till  it  is  regularly  repealed.  The  same 
principle  is  recognized  by  the  church  in  the  binding 
obligation  of  its  covenants. 


168  UNITED  PBESBYTERIANISM. 

In  observing  the  duty  of  social  covenanting,  a  cov- 
enant is  prepared  which  sets  forth  the  reasons  for  en- 
gaging in  this  duty,  confesses  the  sins  of  the  people, 
and  pledges  them  to  greater  faithfulness  in  duty.  On 
the  day  appointed,  after  appropriate  exercises  of  public 
worship,  each  covenanter  lifts  his  right  hand,  as  in 
taking  an  oath,  while  the  covenant  is  read,  and  then 
signs  his  name  to  the  covenant  to  which  he  has  sworn. 
And  the  Testimony  asserts  that,  on  extraordinary 
occasions,  it  may  be  the  duty  of  the  church,  or  of  a 
congregation  of  the  church,  to  make  such  a  public  and 
formal  covenant. 

Article  XYIII.,  "  Of  Psalmody,"  is  :  "  We  declare" 
that  it  is  the  will  of  God  that  the  songs  contained  in 
the  Book  of  Psalms  be  sung  in  his  worship,  lk>th  public 
and  private,  to  the  end  of  the  world ;  and  in  singing 
God^s  praise,  these  songs  should  be  employed  to  the 
exclusion  of  the  devotional  compositions  of  uninspired 
men." 

This  declaration  is  in  accordance  with  the  teaching 
of  the  Confession  of  Faith,  Chapter  XXI.,  Sections 
1,  5:  "The  acceptable  way  of  worshiping  the  true 
God  is  instituted  by  himself,  and  so  limited  by  his 
own  revealed  will  that  he  may  not  be  worshiped  ac- 
cording to  the  imaginations  and  devices  of  men,  or  the 
suggestions  of  Satan,  under  any  visible  representation, 


THE  UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.    1(J9 

or  in  any  other  way  not  prescribed  in  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures. The  reading  of  the  Scriptures  with  godly  fear, 
the  sound  preaching  and  conscionable  hearing  of  the 
word,  in  obedience  unto  God,  with  understanding, 
faith  and  reverence,  singing  of  psalms  with  grace  in 
the  heart,  as  also  the  due  administration  and  worthy 
receiving  of  the  sacraments  instituted  by  Christ,  are  all 
parts  of  the  ordinary  religious  worship  of  God/^ 

We  believe  that  this  declaration  of  the  Testimony, 
though  its  truth  is  denied  by  many,  is  in  harmony  not 
only  with  the  Confession  of  Faith,  but  also  with  the 
word  of  God.  We  will  not  attempt  an  exhaustive  dis- 
cussion of  the  important  question:  What  should  be 
sung  in  the  praise  of  God  ?  We  will  briefly  state  the 
line  of  argument  by  which  we  reach  the  conclusion 
that  it  is  the  will  of  God  that  the  inspired  Psalms 
should  be  sung  in  his  worship,  to  the  exclusion  of  all 
other  devotional  compositions.  AVe  will  not  attempt 
to  answer  the  objections  which  are  urged  against  this 
position ;  for  if  the  doctrine  of  the  Testimony  can  be 
proven  to  be  true  and  founded  on  the  word  of  God,  it 
is  evident  that  all  objections,  however  plausible  they 
may  be,  will  not  overthrow  the  truth. 

1.  That  book  of  the  Bible  which  is  called  the  Psalms 
is  inspired.  No  extended  argument  in  support  of  this 
proposition  is  necessary.     It  is  laid  down  only  because 


170  UNITED  PRKSBYTERIANISM. 

it  prepares  the  way  for  subsequent  propositions.  The 
Book  of  Psalms  has  always  been  received  as  a  part 
of  the  inspired  canon.  No  one  has  ever  called  in  ques- 
tion the  place  it  occupies  in  the  Holy  Scriptures.  All 
the  Psalms  were  not  composed  by  David.  Some  were 
written  by  Asaph,  some  by  Solomon,  and  some  by 
others,  but  the  authors  were  all  inspired ;  and  by  some 
inspired  hand  their  writings  were  collected  into  one 
book,  and  arranged  in  the  order  in  which  they  now 
stand.  As  thus  collected  and  arranged,  they  are  called 
the  Psalms  of  David,  not  because  he  is  the  author  of 
them  all,  but  because  he  is  the  author  of  the  most  of 
them,  and  because  he  is  justly  regarded  as  the  leading 
psalmist  of  the  church.  If  these  Psalms  have  a  right 
to  the  place  they  occupy  in  the  (livine  word,  they  must 
be  inspired,  for  "  all  Scripture  is  given  by  inspiration 
of  God.'^  And  they  have  received  peculiar  sanction 
in  the  New  Testament.  There  is  no  other  part  of  the 
Old  Testament  which  is  so  often  quoted  by  our  Lord 
and  his  apostles.  They  refer  again  and  again  to  the 
words  of  David  to  prove  the  deity  of  Jesus  of  Naz- 
areth, to  show  the  necessity  of  his  sufferings,  and  to 
illustrate  and  express  their  own  experiences.  Some 
have  questioned  the  inspiration  of  the  Pentateuch  and 
of  the  historical  books  of  the  Bible ;  some  have  ques- 
tioned the  inspiration  of  the  prophets ;  but  none  have 


THE   UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.     171 

questioned  the  inspiration  of  the  Psalter,  save  those 
who  deny  the  fact  of  inspiration  altogether.  If  any 
part  of  the  Old  Testament  is  inspired,  that  part  is  the 
Psalms  of  David. 

2.  The  inspired  Psalms  alone  were  divinely  ap- 
pointed to  be  used  in  singing  praise  to  God.  The 
truth  of  this  proposition  may  be  established  from  the 
fact  that  David  is  called  "  the  Psalmist  of  Israel." 
When  David,  near  the  end  of  his  life,  looked  back  over 
all  he  had  been  able  to  do  for  the  glory  of  the  heavenly 
Father,  he  rejoiced,  not  in  his  own  kingly  dignity,  or 
in  the  decisive  victories  he  had  gained  over  his  ene- 
mies, or  in  the  prosperity  of  his  kingdom,  but  in  the 
fact  that  he  had  been  raised  up,  through  divine  grace, 
to  be  the  psalmist  of  the  church:  "Now  these  be  the 
last  words  of  David.  David,  the  son  of  Jesse,  said, 
and  the  man  who  was  raised  up  on  high,  the  anointed 
of  the  God  of  Jacob  and  the  sweet  Psalmist  of  Israel, 
said:  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  spake  by  me,  and  his 
word  was  in  my  tongue."  As  an  inspired  teacher  was 
one  whose  great  work  it  was  to  teach  the  church ;  as 
an  inspired  prophet  was  one  whose  great  work  it  was 
to  deliver  prophecies  for  the  church;  so  an  inspired 
psalmist  was  one  whose  great  work  it  was  to  write  for 
the  church  devotional  compositions  to  be  sung  in  the 
worship  of  God.     If,  then,  the  Lord  raised  up  David 


172  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

to  be  the  Psalmist  of  Israel,  it  was  to  the  intent  that 
the  Psalms  he  penned  should  be  used  by  Israel  in  the 
worship  of  their  God. 

That  the  Psalms  were  given  by  divine  appointment 
to  be  used  in  singing  praise  to  God,  is  also  evident 
from  the  fact  that  they  have  been,  under  divine  direc- 
tion, collected  into  a  book  by  themselves.  They  were 
written  by  different  authors  at  various  times ;  some  of 
them  are  to  be  found  in  other  portions  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tament; but  they  have  all  been  arranged  in  one  book, 
which  is  called  the  Book  of  Psalms.  There  must  have 
been  some  purpose  in  this.  What  was  this  purpose? 
What  could  it  have  been,  except  that  these  Psalms 
were  adapted  to  the  worship  of  the  church,  and  that 
they  were  designed  and  collected  to  be  used  by  the 
church  in  its  worship? 

This  conclusion  is  confirmed  by  the  matter  and 
structure  of  the  Psalms.  They  are  full  of  praise  to 
God  for  what  he  is  in  himself,  and  for  his  wonderful 
works  in  creation,  providence  and  redemption.  They 
are  written  in  the  peculiar  style  of  Hebrew  poetry,  so 
that  they  could  be  sung  or  chanted.  And  this  conclu- 
sion is  still  further  confirmed  by  the  acknowledged 
fact  that  the  Psalms  were  used  by  the  Jewish  Church 
in  the  worship  of  God.  No  mention  is  made,  by  either 
inspired  or  uninspired  writers,  of  any  other.     In  the 


THE  UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.     173 

temple  and  in  the  synagogue,  down  to  the  time  of  the 
incarnation,  and  ever  since,  they  have  been  chanted  by 
the  children  of  faithful  Abraham.  Their  joys  and 
their  sorrows,  their  hopes  and  their  fears,  their  long- 
ings and  their  gratitude,  have  all  found  expression  in 
the  words  of  the  sweet  psalmist  of  their  nation. 

But  the  truth  of  the  proposition,  that  the  Psalms 
alone  were  given  to  the  Jews  to  be  used  in  singing 
praise  to  God,  will  be  admitted  by  all.  Even  those 
who  assert  that  the  Psalms  are  not  adapted  to  the 
spirit  of  Christianity,  will  readily  grant  that  they  were 
adapted  to  the  Jewish  economy,  and  that  they  alone 
were  appointed  to  be  sung  in  the  Jewish  Church. 

3.  The  divine  appointment  for  the  exclusive  use  of 
the  inspired  Psalms  in  singing  praise  to  God  has  never 
been  repealed.  We  search  the  Old  Testament  in  vain 
for  any  hint  of  such  a  repeal.  Again  and  again  are 
the  people  of  God  commanded  to  sing  Psalms  unto 
him,  but  there  is  no  intimation  that  anything  else  is  to 
be  used  in  his  praise.  When  we  turn  to  the  New 
Testament,  we  cannot  fail  to  notice  their  unbroken 
silence  on  this  point.  The  priesthood  of  Aaron  has 
given  place  to  the  priesthood  of  Christ ;  the  sacrifices 
and  ceremonies  of  the  temple  have  been  abolished ;  but 
there  is  no  change  in  the  ordinance  of  singing  Psalms 
in  the  worship  of  God.     The  apostle  James  says:  "Is 


1 
174  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

any  merry?  Let  him  sing  Psalms; "and  he  refers, 
without  doubt,  to  the  Psalms  of  inspiration.  When 
the  Saviour  commands  us  to  "search  the  Scriptures, 
for  in  them  ye  think  ye  have  eternal  life,"  what  Scrip- 
tures does  he  mean?  Manifestly  the  inspired  Scrip- 
tures. So,  when  James  commands  us  to  "sing 
Psalms,"  it  is  evident,  from  the  same  course  of  rea- 
soning, that  he  means  the  inspired  Psalms. 

But  it  is  said  that  the  singing  of  hymns  is  also 
enjoined  in  the  New  Testament.  If  this  is  so,  and  if 
by  hymns  are  meant  the  devotional  compositions  of 
uninspired  men,  then  the  divine  appointment  for  the 
exclusive  use  of  the  Psalms  in  the  worship  of  God  has 
been  repealed.  Let  us  examine  the  passages  in  which, 
it  is  asserted,  the  use  of  uninspired  hymns  is  com- 
manded. We  are  told  that  when  our  Lord  and  his 
apostles  had  observed  the  last  passover  and  the  first 
supper,  they  "sung  an  hymn,"  and  "  went  out  into  the 
mount  of  Olives."  What  was  the  "hymn"  which 
they  sung?  It  must  be  remembered  that  Jesus  and 
his  disciples  kept  the  passover  in  all  respects  as  the 
Jews  were  accustomed  to  keep  it ;  and  that  the  Jews, 
in  keeping  the  passover,  sung  that  portion  of  the  psal- 
ter which  is  called  the  Hallel,  that  is.  Psalms  cxiii.  and 
cxviii.  inclusive.  But  they  did  not  sing  the  whole 
Hallel  at  once;   they  began  the  passover  by  chanting 


THE   UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.     175 

the  first  verses  of  Psalm  cxiii.,  and  they  so  interspersed 
the  services  with  singing  that  the  feast  was  concluded 
with  the  last  words  of  Psalm  cxviii.  We  may,  there- 
fore, conclude  that  the  hymn  which  Jesus  and  his 
apostles  sung  as  they  went  out  to  the  mount  of 
Olives  at  the  conclusion  of  the  passover,  was  the  last 
verses  of  the  Hallel.  To  this  conclusion  there  are  few 
biblical  critics  who  take  exception.  Farrar  says: 
"  The  hymn,  which  was  sung  before  the  departure  of 
the  little  company  to  Gethsemane,  has  with  great  prob- 
ability been  supposed  to  be  the  second  part  of  the 
great  Hallel."  Geikie  says :  "  iSTow,  at  the  close,  the 
voices  of  the  eldest  of  them  chanted  with  slow,  solenni 
strains  the  remainder  of  the  Hallel,  and  the  rest 
responded  with  the  word  hallelujah  at  the  close  of 
each  verse.  The  anthem  began  fitly:  ^Not  unto  us, 
not  unto  us,  but  unto  thy  name  give  glory,  for  thy 
mercy  and  for  thy  truth's  sake;'  and  closed  with  the 
words  of  Psalm  cxviii.,  ^  Blessed  be  he  that  cometh  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord.'  Now  all  was  over,  and  the 
eleven,  following  their  Master,  went  out  into  the  night. 
They  were  on  their  way  to  Gethsemane."  This  passage, 
then,  does  not  authorize  the  use  of  uninspired  compo- 
sitions in  singing  praise  to  God. 

To    prove   that   the   exclusive    use  of  an    inspired 
Psalmody  is   not   enjoined    upon  the  New  Testament 


176  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

church,  we  are  sometimes  referred  to  Ephesians  v.  19: 
"Speaking  to  yourselves  in  psalms,  and  hymns,  and 
spiritual  songs,  singing  and  making  melody  in  your 
heart  to  the  Lord;''  and  to  Colossians  iii.  16:  "Let 
the  word  of  Christ  dwell  in  you  richly  in  all  wisdom; 
teaching  and  admonishing  one  another  iu  psalms,  and 
hymns,  and  spiritual  songs,  singing  with  grace  in  your 
hearts  to  the  Lord."  If  the  hymns  and  spiritual 
songs  were  different  from  psalms,  and  if  such  hymns 
and  spiritual  songs  were  used  in  the  early  church,  it 
is  remarkable  that  not  one  of  them  has  been  preserved. 
Albert  Barnes  says,  and  no  one  can  accuse  him  of  un- 
due partiality  for  the  exclusive  use  of  an  inspired 
Psalmody  :  "  The  presumption  is  very  strong  that,  if 
there  had  been  such  hymns,  they  would  have  been 
preserved  with  as  much  care  as  the  Epistles,  or  the 
Psalms  themselves."  But  there  is  no  evidence  that 
the  hymns  and  spiritual  songs  were  anything  different 
from  psalms.  A  psalm  is  a  hymn,  and  a  hymn  is  a 
spiritual  song.  In  the  titles  prefixed  to  the  Psalms 
some  are  called  "psalms,"  and  some  "songs,"  and 
there  are  in  the  original  several  words  which  are  trans- 
lated "psalms."  Hebrew  scholars  are  not  agreed  as 
to  the  exact  difference  in  the  meaning  of  these  different 
words,  but  the  translators  of  the  Septuagint  have  ren- 
dered them  by  the  terms,  "psalms,"  "hymns,"  "odes," 


THE   UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.     177 

or  spiritual  songs.  Hence,  these  terms  passed  into 
common  use  among  those  who  were  familiar  with  the 
Septuagint,  not  to  describe  different  Psalters,  but  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  same  Psalter.  This  is,  no  doubt, 
the  sense  in  which  Paul  used  these  terms  in  the  texts 
referred  to ;  for  the  Septuagint  was  the  version  of  the 
Old  Testament  which  was  generally  used  by  those  to 
whom  he  was  writing,  and  in  the  same  connection  he 
exhorts  them  to  "  let  the  word  of  Christ  dwell  in  you 
richly."  As  if  he  had  said :  "  Teach  and  admonish 
one  another  by  using  the  various  psalms,  hymns  and 
spiritual  songs  in  the  fiook  of  Psalms,  which  is  a  part 
of  the  inspired  word  of  Christ."  These  passages,  then, 
do  not  repeal  the  divine  appointment  for  the  exclusive 
use  of  the  inspired  Psalms  in  the  praise  of  God.  On 
the  other  hand,  they  expressly  enjoin  their  use ;  for 
no  other  Psalmody  can  be  called  with  equal  propriety 
"  the  word  of  Christ."  If  these  passages  do  not  re- 
peal the  divine  appointment,  there  is  no  other  passage 
in  the  New  Testament  which  does,  and  that  appoint- 
ment still  stands. 

4.  If  the  divine  appointment  for  the  exclusive  use 
of  the  Psalms  has  never  been  repealed,  they  alone  are 
yet  to  be  sung  in  the  worship  of  God.  One  great 
principle  which  underlies  the  ordinances  of  worship  is 

thus  expressed  in  our  Shorter  Catechism  :  "  The  second 
12 


178  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

commandment  forbiddeth  the  worshiping  of  God  by 
images,  or  in  any  other  way  not  appointed  in  his  tvord;'' 
or  as  it  is  stated  in  the  Confession  of  Faith,  "  in  any 
other  way  not  prescribed  in  the  Holy  Scriptures.^^  This 
is  but  another  form  of  expressing  the  truth,  which  the 
Saviour  announced  when  he  said  :  "  In  vain  do  they 
worship  me,  teaching  for  doctrines  the  commandments 
of  men/'  Therefore,  in  deciding  whether  anything 
may  be  used  in  the  worship  of  God,  the  question  is 
not,  is  it  forbidden  ?  but,  is  it  commanded?  It  might 
be  affirmed  that  wine  should  be  used  in  the  administra- 
tion of  baptism,  and  in  suppoft  of  this  affirmation  it 
might  be  said  that  wine  has  never  been  forbidden.  A 
sufficient  reply  would  be :  It  is  true,  wine  has  never 
been  forbidden,  but  it  has  never  been  commanded;  it 
is  nowhere  said,  thou  shalt  not  baptize  with  wine,  but 
it  is  said,  thou  shalt  baptize  with  water.  So,  if  it  is 
said  that  the  use  of  uninspired  hymns  has  never  been 
forbidden,  we  reply  :  It  is  true,  they  have  never  been 
forbidden,  but  they  have  never  been  commanded;  it  is 
not  said,  thou  shalt  not  sing  uninspired  hymns,  but  it 
is  said,  thou  shalt  sing  Psalms. 

An  ordinance  of  God  must  remain  in  force  till  God 
repeals  it.  The  ordinance  of  sacrifice  was  enjoined  upon 
the  Jewish  church,  and  sacrifices  were  offi^red  till  the 
coming  of  Christ,  who  "  offered  himself  once  for  all." 


THE   UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH.     179 

Since  that  time  there  remains  "  no  more  sacrifice  for 
sin/^  So  it  was  with  the  Sabbath.  The  seventh  day 
of  the  week  continued  to  be  the  Sabbath  until  God,  by 
the  example  and  teaching  of  the  apostles,  repealed  the 
original  appointment,  and  the  first  day  of  the  week  be- 
came the  Christian  Sabbath.  So  it  is  with  the  Psalms. 
The  ordinance  of  God  for  their  use  must  remain  in 
force  until  it  is  repealed.  But  it  has  not  yet  been  re- 
pealed ;  therefore,  the  Psalms  alone  are  still  to  be  used 
in  the  worship  of  God. 

This  line  of  argument  brings  us  to  the  conclusion, 
that  it  is  the  will  of  God  that  the  songs  contained  in 
the  Book  of  Psalms  should  be  sung  in  his  worship  to 
the  end  of  the  world,  to  the  exclusion  of  the  devotional 
compositions  of  uninspired  men. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  CONCLUSION. 

To-day  if  ye  will  hear  his  voice,  harden  not  your  hearts. — Heb. 
iii.  15. 

TT  now  remains  only  to  apply  and  enforce  the  prin- 
-■-  ciples  which  have  been  stated,  illustrated  and 
established  in  the  preceding  chapters.  If  the  conclu- 
sions we  have  reached  are  in  harmony  with  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  what  is  our  present  duty?  A  religious 
duty  is  something  enjoined  on  us  by  God.  If  we  be- 
lieve that  God  is,  and  that  he  is  the  rewarder  of  those 
who  diligently  seek  him,  we  ought  not  to  hesitate  in 
obeying  his  commandments.  What  are  his  command- 
ments? They  are  to  be  found  in  his  word.  However, 
in  speaking  of  our  duty,  we  will  not  attempt  to  go 
over  the  whole  field;  we  will  refer  only  to  those  duties 
which  are  immediately  connected  with  the  doctrines 
we  have  been  considering.  Tliese  duties  are  summed 
up  in  the  words  which  David  first  penned,  and  \yhich 
are  quoted  again  and  again  in  the  New  Testament, 
"  To-day  if  ye  will   hear  his  voice,  harden  not  your 

hearts." 
(180^ 


THE  CONCLUSION,  181 

THE   COMMANDMENT   OF   GOD. 

1.  God  commands  us  to  believe  in  Christ.  "This  is 
his  commandment,  that  we  should  believe  on  the  name 
of  his  Son  Jesus  Christ,  and  love  one  another,  as  he 
gave  us  commandment."  Every  one  who  is  acquainted 
with  the  New  Testament  knows  that  this  command- 
ment is  repeated,  directly  or  indirectly,  on  almost 
every  page.  Therefore,  our  first  duty  is  to  believe. 
Of  course,  there  are  other  duties  which  are  connected 
with  faith,  such  as  a  study  of  the  Scriptures,  repentance 
and  prayer;  but  faith  is  the  foundation  on  which  they 
all  rest.  It  is  to  be  observed  and  remembered  that 
faith  is  our  duty,  because  it  is  commanded.  Many 
seem  to  think  that  the  words,  "  Believe  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,"  are  only  an  invitation,  which  we  are  at 
liberty  to  accept  or  reject.  But  this  is  a  mistaken 
notion.  They  are  a  commandment,  which  has  the 
same  divine  sanction  as  any  precept  of  the  Decalogue, 
and  which  we  cannot  disobey  with  impunity.  Have 
you  obeyed  this  commandment?  Have  you  accepted 
Christ  as  your  Saviour?  If  you  have,  you  are  in  the 
right  path;  if  not,  this  is  your  present  duty.  This  is 
the  first  step;  and  till  this  is  taken,  no  other  is  pos- 
sible. This  is  the  reason  why,  in  the  word  of  God  and 
in  the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  immediate  faith  is  so 
often  insisted  on.    If  you  would  obey  God's  command- 


182  UNITED   PRESBYTERIANISM. 

ment,  if  you  would  be  able  to  perform  the  other  duties 
of  the  Christian  life,  if  you  would  be  saved,  "Believe 
on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.'^ 

2.  God  commands  us  to  confess  our  faith  in  Christ. 
"  If  thou  shalt  confess  with  thy  mouth  the  Lord  Jesus, 
and  shalt  believe  in  thine  heart  that  God  hath  raised 
him  from  the  dead,  thou  shalt  be  saved."  When  a 
man  has  accepted  Christ  as  his  Saviour,  his  duty  is 
not  ended;  he  must  show  his  faith  by  a  public  profes- 
sion. Such  a  profession  is  necessary  to  his  well-being-'j^ 
for  it  will  shield  him  from  many  temptations,  inspire 
him  with  faithfulness,  and  strengthen  his  graces.  It 
is  also  necessary  for  the  good  of  others;  for  if  a  man 
refuses  to  number  himself  with  the  friends  of  Jesus,  he 
will  be  counted  with  the  enemies.  It  matters  not 
what  he  may  say  in  favor  of  the  Saviour  and  the 
Christian  religion,  the  influence  of  his  example  will 
be  more  powerful  than  the  influence  of  his  words. 
Therefore,  God  has  commanded  all  believers  to  make 
confession  of  their  faith.  While  such  a  confession  is 
to  be  made  by  a  holy  life,  it  is  especially  to  be  made 
by  a  consistent  membership  in  the  church  of  Christ. 
Christ  has  organized  a  church  on  earth,  and  he  calls 
on  his  disciples  to  be  a  peculiar  people,  separate  from 
the  world.  Hence,  a  man's  second  duty  is  to  unite 
with  the  visible  church,  and  thus  confess  his  faith 
before  men. 


THE  CONCLUSION.  183 

But  the  visible  church  is  divided  into  raauy  differ- 
ent denominations;  and  no  sooner  is  a  man  convinced 
that  it  is  his  commanded  duty  to  connect  himself  with 
the  church,  than  he  is  met  with  the  question:  With 
what  denomination  of  the  church  ought  I  to  unite? 
The  design  of  several  of  the  preceding  chapters  has 
been  to  give  assistance  in  answering  this  question.  All 
evangelical  churches  believe  the  Scriptures  to  be  the 
word  of  God  and  the  only  rule  of  faith  and  practice, 
but  they  do  not  all  understand  the  Scriptures  in  the 
same  way.  Therefore,  each  church  finds  it  necessary 
to  prepare  a  creed,  which  is  a  brief  statement  of  what 
the  church  believes  to  be  the  teacliing  of  the  word  of 
God,  and  to  which  all  its  members  are  required  to  as- 
sent. We  have  explained  the  Presbyterian  form  of 
church  government,  and  have  proven  that  it,  and  not 
Episcopacy  or  Congregationalism,  is  agreeable  to  and 
founded  on  the  divine  word.  We  have  considered  the 
Westminster  Confession  of  Faith,  the  common  creed 
of  the  English-speaking  Presbyterian  churches,  and 
have  shown  that  it  is  a  correct  statement  of  the  doc- 
trines of  revelation  as  contained  in  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures. We,  therefore,  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
Presbyterian  Church  was  more  scriptural  than  any 
other,  and  that  the  believer  should  confess  his  faith  by 
a  union  with  some  branch  of  this  church. 


184  UNITED  PEESBYTERIANISM. 

We  were  then  met  by  another  difficulty.  The  Pres- 
byterian Church  is  broken  up  into  several  denomina- 
tions, holding  to  the  Westminster  Confession  of  Faith, 
and  the  Catechisms  Larger  and  Shorter,  but  differing 
on  certain  matters  of  minor  importance.  The  question 
to  be  answered  was  this :  With  which  of  these  denom- 
inations ought  we  to  connect  ourselves?  For  it  is 
evident  that  it  is  our  duty  to  unite  with  that  denomina- 
tion whose  faith  and  practice  are  nearest  the  Scripture 
standard.  To  assist  in  answering  this  question,  we 
considered  the  Testimony  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
Church,  which  contains  in  eighteen  articles  a  brief 
statement  of  the  belijef  of  the  church  on  as  many  dif- 
ferent points,  on  which  the  Westminster  Confession  of 
Faith  seems  to  be  deficient  in  clearness  and  explicit- 
ness ;  and  we  showed  that  each  of  these  articles  was  in 
harmony  with  the  teaching  of  the  word  of  God.  If 
our  reasoning  was  correct,  we  are  brought  to  the  con- 
clusion that  it  is  our  duty  to  unite  with  the  United 
Presbyterian  Church,  because  the  creed  of  this  church 
is  more  in  accordance  with  the  infallible  standard, 
than  that  of  any  other  church. 

The  divisions  of  the  visible  church  are  to  be  regretted. 
They  are  evidence  of  the  weakness,  blindness  and  sin- 
fulness of  our  fallen  nature.  It  is  a  shame  that  those 
who  have  been  redeemed  by  the  Lord  Jesus  are  not 


THE  CONCLUSION.  I35 

one.  Nevertheless,  in  this  respect  as  in  every  other, 
God  overrules  the  wrath  of  man  and  makes  it  to  praise 
him.  The  differences  of  opinion  with  reference  to  the 
teachings  of  inspiration  have  led  Christians  to  be  more 
watchful  against  error,  and  to  be  more  diligent  in  in- 
vestigating the  trutb.  The  divisions  in  the  church 
have  silenced  many  excuses.  No  believer  in  the  Bible 
can  refuse  to  unite  with  the  church,  on  the  ground  that 
he  cannot  accept  its  creed  ;  for  there  are  creeds  enough 
to  express  every  man's  views.  While  we  labor  and 
pray  that  the  time  may  soon  come  when  all  Christians 
will  be  brought  to  see  eye  to  eye,  we  are  at  the  same 
time  to  rejoice  that  God  is  able  to  overrule  the  di- 
visions in  his  church  for  his  own  glory  and  the  good 
of  his  people. 

It  is  the  duty  of  every  believer  to  show  his  faith  by 
a  union  with  the  church.  In  the  present  divided  state 
of  the  church,  it  is  the  duty  of  every  believer  to  ex- 
amine the  creeds  of  the  different  denominations,  and  to 
connect  himself  with  the  one  whose  creed  is  the  best 
expression  of  the  teaching  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  as  he 
understands  them.  This  is  our  second  duty,  viz. :  to 
confess  our  faith  before  men  by  a  union  with  that  branch 
of  the  visible  church  whose  subordinate  standards  are 
most  agreeable  to  the  word  of  God. 

3.  God  commands  us  to  believe  in  Christy  and  confess 


186  UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  ISM. 

our  faith  at  once.  "  Remember  now  thy  Creator  in 
the  days  of  thy  youth  ;"  "Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom 
of  God  and  his  righteousness;"  '^To-day  if  ye  will 
hear  his  voice,  harden  not  your  hearts."  All  God's 
commands  relate  to  the  present.  He  gives  no  com- 
mandments about  the  future.  He  tells  us  to  believe, 
repent  and  confess,  not  to-morrow,  but  to-day. 

It  is  an  unquestioned  fact  that  faith  and  salvation 
are  inseparably  connected.  If  we  believe,  we  will  be 
saved ;  if  we  do  not  believe,  we  will  be  lost.  And 
salvation  is  an  important  matter.  It  includes  all  hap- 
piness for  the  present  and  the  future.  Since  these 
things  are  so,  when  should  the  duty  of  faith  be  per- 
formed? It  will  not  do  to  wait  till  death  has  come. 
The  word  of  God  teaches  us  that  there  is  no  oppor- 
tunity for  faith  and  repentance  after  the  soul  leaves 
the  body.  There  is  no  intermediate  state  between  this 
world  and  the  next,  in  which  the  departed  spirit  can 
prepare  to  meet  its  God.  '^  Then  shall  the  dust  return 
to  the  earth  as  it  was ;  and  the  spirit  shall  return  unto 
God  who  gave  it."  If  any  man  needed  to  pass 
through  an  intermediate  state  to  prepare  hina  for 
heaven,  that  man  was  the  dying  thief,  who  had  lived 
a  life  of  open  lawlessness;  but  the  Saviour  said  to  him, 
"  To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  Paradise."  Faith 
is  a  duty  which  must  be  performed  before  death,  if  it  is 


THE  CONCLUSION.  187 

performed  at  an ;   and   as    death   may  come   at   auy 
moment,  it  should  be  performed  now. 

It  is  not  safe  to  postpone  this  duty  till  the  last  sick- 
ness comes.  There  may  be  no  last  sickness ;  death 
may  come  in  a  moment.  Or  if  there  is  a  sickness,  the 
sick  one  may  be  unconscious*  through  it  all.  Or  if 
there  is  consciousness,  he  may  be  deceived  as  to  the 
nature  and  result  of  his  illness.  Oh  I  the  deceptions  men 
practise  in  the  sick-rooms  of  earth.  Friends  tarry  at 
the  door  to  wipe  the  tears  from  their  eyes,  so  that  the 
dying  one  may  feel  no  alarm.  They  talk  of  journeys 
in  pursuit  of  health,  when  they  know  that  the  only 
journey  the  sick  one  will  take  is  along  the  road  to  the 
cemetery.  They  talk  of  the  coming  summer  and  the 
strength  it  will  bring,  when  they  know  that  the  sum- 
mer's flowers  will  bloom  over  the  sick  one's  grave. 
They  talk  of  dresses,  when  they  know  that  the  sick 
one's  shroud  has  already  been  made.  Others  have  been 
deceived  in  this  way,  and  so  may  we.  If  we  are  con- 
scious during  our  last  sickness,  and  if  we  fully  realize 
that  the  end  is  approaching,  we  will  have  enough  to  do 
without  having  to  make  our  peace  with  God.  Anxiety 
about  the  future,  the  sorrow  of  friends,  and  the  sad 
farewells  will  occupy  our  attention.  If  we  could  not 
overcome  our  doubts  and  fears  when  body  and  mind 
were  in  full  vigor,  how  can  we  hope  to  overcome  them 


188  UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  ISM. 

in  that  hour  of  weakness  ?  If  Satan  was  too  povverffil 
for  us  in  the  days  of  our  strength,  how  can  we  expect 
to  gain  the  victory  over  him  when  heart  and  flesh  faint 
and  fail  ?  *^  If  thou  hast  run  with  footmen,  and  they 
have  wearied  thee,  then  how  canst  thou  contend 
with  horses  ?  If  in  the  land  of  peace  wherein  thou 
trustedst,  they  wearied  thee,  then  how  wilt  thou  do  in 
the  swelling  of  Jordan?" 

It  is  not  safe  to  postpone  this  duty  of  faith  till  to- 
morrow. If  we  put  off  repentance  another  day,  we 
have  a  day  more  to  repent  of,  and  a  day  less  to  repent 
in.  He  who  has  promised  pardon  on  our  repentance, 
has  not  promised  to  preserve  our  lives  till  we  repent. 
Life  is  so  uncertain  that  our  important  interests  de- 
mand our  immediate  attention.  Even  if  w^e  should 
live  for  many  years,  the  affairs  of  this  world  are  so  ab- 
sorbing that  every  year  lessens  the  probability  of  our 
conversion.  If  it  is  a  duty  to  believe  in  Christ,  it  is  a 
present  duty ;  if  it  is  a  duty  to  confess  our  faith  by  a 
union  with  the  church,  it  is  a  duty  which  should  be 
performed  at  once;  for  God  " limiteth  a  certain  day, 
saying.  To-day  if  ye  will  hear  his  voice,  harden  not 
your  hearts.'' 


THE  CONCLUSION.  189 

THIS    COMMANDMENT   OF   GOD    IS    MADE    KNOWN   BY 
MANY    MESSENGERS. 

Some  may  say :  God  has  never  commanded  me  to 
believe  and  confess  to-day.  It  is  true,  God  does  not 
now  speak  to  jnen  in  an  audible  voice  from  heaven, 
as  he  sometimes  did  in  former  days;  but  he  sends 
his  messengers  who  speak  in  his  name  and  by  his 
authority. 

One  messenger  of  God  is  his  written  word.  There 
can  be  no  question  that  the  Holy  Scriptures  command 
men  to  believe  in  Christ  and  confess  him  without 
delay.  If  the  Bible  is  what  it  claims  to  be,  viz.,  God^s 
revelation  to  man,  then  every  one  who  has  ever  read 
the  Bible  has  heard  the  voice  of  God,  saying,  "To-day, 
harden  not  your  hearts.^'  God  also  speaks  to  men  in 
the  preaching  of  the  gospel.  Sermons  differ  in  their 
literary  merits,  and  in  their  methods  of  presenting  the 
truth,  but  every  gospel  sermon  exhibits  some  phase  of 
the  plan  of  salvation,  and  invites  men  to  accept  Christ 
as  their  Saviour.  Every  one  who  has  listened  to  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel  has  heard  the  command  of 
God;  for  the  message  of  the  preacher  is  ever  summed 
up  in  this:  "Now  then  we  are  ambassadors  for  Christ, 
as  though  God  did  beseech  you  by  us;  we  pray  you  in 
Christ's  stead,  be  ye  reconciled  to  God.''     God  some- 


lao  UNITED  PBESBYTERIANISM. 

times  enforces  his  commands  by  the  voice  of  conscience, 
that  inward  monitor  lie  has  implanted  in  the  soul,  to 
chide  when  we  do  wrong  and  to  approve  when  we  do 
right.  Every  one  has  heard  its  still  small  voice.  The 
conscience  of  some  may,  through  a  long  course  of 
wrong-doing,  be  seared  as  with  a  hot  iron,  but  it  was 
not  always  so.  The  man  does  not  live,  to  whom  his 
conscience  has  not  said:  Thou  oughtest  to  do  this;  and, 
thou  oughtest  not  to  do  that.  Every  conscience,  en- 
lightened by  the  gospel,  has  warned  its  possessor  as  to 
his  duty,  and  this  warning  is  the  voice  of  God.  God 
speaks  to  men  by  the  events  of  his  providences.  Dis- 
appointments, financial  disasters,  sicknesses  and  be- 
reavements are  all  divinely  appointed  messengers,  sent 
to  persuade  men  to  lay  up  their  treasures  in  heaven. 
There  are  few  to  whose  homes  and  hearts  these  mes- 
sengers have  not  come;  and  there  is  no  one  who  will 
not,  some  time  in  the  future,  receive  a  visit  from  one 
or  all  of  them.  Their  message  is  ever  the  same: 
"Seek  those  things  which  are  above,  where  Christ 
sitteth  at  the  right  hand  of  God,"  God's  voice  is  also 
heard  in  the  example  and  admonitions  of  Christian 
relatives  and  friends.  It  is  a  sorrowful  truth  that  the 
life  of  so  many  professing  Christians  is  not  in  harmony 
with  their  profession ;  but  every  one  of  us  has  known 
some  disciple  who  was  manifestly  walking  with  Christ. 


THE   CONCLUSION.  191 

It  is  to  be  regretted  tliat  Christians  are  so  backward  in 
speaking  to  their  unconverted  friends  about  the  duties 
of  personal  religion  ;  but  there  are  few  who  have  not 
been  exhorted  to  attend  to  the  interests  of  their  souls. 
All  these  are  God's  messengers,  and  tiiey  come  bring- 
ing God's  message,  "  To-day  if  ye  will  hear  his  voice, 
harden  not  your  hearts." 

THIS    COMMANDMENT   OF    GOD     IS    MADE    KNOWN   TO 
YOU   BY   THESE   MANY   MESSENGERS. 

You  have  read  the  Bible;  you  have  listened  to  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel ;  you  are  not  strangers  to  the 
reproofs  of  conscience ;  you  have  heard  the  warnings 
of  Providence ;  you  have  been  admonished  by  Christian 
friends;  by  all  these  messengers  God  has  been  calling 
on  you  to  believe  in  Christ  and  confess  your  faith  at 
once.  We  appeal  to  all  to  heed  and  obey  the  voice  of 
God.  It  is  not  a  light  thing  to  treat  with  indiiference 
the  commands  of  the  Most  High.  Your  salvation  de- 
pends on  the  response  of  your  souls.  But  we  appeal 
especially  to  the  children  of  the  church.  You  have 
been  dedicated  to  God  in  the  ordinance  of  baptism ; 
and  dare  you  despise  the  solemn  vows  your  parents 
took  upon  themselves  in  your  behalf?  You  have  been 
trained  in  your  homes  to  fear  God  and  keep  his  com- 
mandments;  and  can  you  trample  this  training  under 


192  UNITED  PRESBYTERIANISM. 

your  feet?  Your  father  and  mother  have  prayed  for 
your  salvation;  their  life  is  bound  up  in  your  life;  and 
will  you  make  light  of  their  prayers,  their  love  and 
their  happiness?  You  have  been  instructed  in  the 
Sabbath  school,  and  have  listened  week  after  week  to 
the  preaching  of  the  gospel ;  and  will  you,  by  slighting 
these  instructions,  heap  up  for  yourselves  wrath  against 
the  day  of  wrath?  The  commandments  of  God  have 
been  made  known  to  you  in  times  and  ways  without 
number;  and  dare  you  disobey  any  longer?  "If  the 
word  spoken  by  angels  was  steadfast,  and  every  trans- 
gression and  disobedience  received  a  just  recompense 
of  reward,  how  shall  we  escape,  if  we  neglect  so  great 
salvation  ?  "  Be  persuaded  now  to  believe  in  Christ, 
and  to  confess  your  faith  by  a  union  with  the  visible 
church.  "The  Spirit  and  the  bride  say,  come.  And 
let  him  that  heareth  say,  come.  And  let  him  that  is 
athirst  come.  And  whosoever  will,  let  him  take  the 
water  of  life  freely."  "To-day  if  ye  will  hear  his 
voice,  harden  not  your  hearts." 


1 
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